Home
by WatchingAsYouFall
Summary: 20 years ago, Shikamaru Nara was kidnapped. No one knows why or where they took him. Desperate and clinging to their last thread of hope, Shikaku and Yoshino hire Neji Hyūga, Konoha's number one ninja at finding things.
1. And So It Begins

**[[A/N]] Hello there! and welcome to another wild ShikaNejiShika ride!**

**Summary: 21 years ago, Shikamaru Nara was kidnapped. No one knows why or where they took him. Desperate and clinging to their last thread of hope, Shikaku and Yoshino hire Neji Hyūga, Konoha's number one ninja at finding things. **

**Pairing: Eventually Shikamaru/Neji**

**Warnings: There will be violence, there will be sex (maybe) and you can definitely expect some characters to be very OOC (Shikamaru for one but at least I have an excuse for him)**

**Anyways! Buckle up guys, it's going to be a bumpy ride!  
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><p><em>The boy was perfect. Barely a year old and he was already showing huge potential. He would be their new hope. He would be their new leader. Only if he had the right upbringing and the right training. <em>

_He had been with them for just 5 years and already they could see they had made the right choice. His knowledge was exceptional and his techniques were improving by the day. _

_The boy was thirteen and already he had surpassed his teachers and coaches. There was little or nothing more they could teach him now other than how to utilise his power._

_In his 21st year he had gone beyond what they thought he was capable of. He had mastered everything they had tried to teach him and created his own new techniques. They were ready. Konoha would fall._

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><p>Dark brown eyes fluttered open to greet the morning and a quick glance out of the window told their owner that the weather in the Hidden Village of the Rain was the same as usual; wet.<p>

Shikamaru sighed. Every day was the same. He would wake at dawn, train, eat, sleep then start all over again. Day in, day out, there was no change in the solid routine that he had kept for as long as he could remember.

After he'd washed and changed, he made his way to his training area where his new trainer was waiting.

"Shikamaru," the old man greeted him. "We are going to practice your ability to gather information today. Remember –"

"Don't let anyone know what I'm doing," Shikamaru said. "Yeah, I know."

"Excellent. Now, there are four pieces of information held by different people in the town regarding your next mission. Your job is to gather this information without being caught."

"If I am?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Then you fail," the old man told him. "And failure is not something we tolerate."

Shikamaru bowed to the old man before turning away. Sometimes these training sessions would only last five minutes; this one was likely to take a bit longer.

Shikamaru made his way into town with a carefree ease. He was known by the people in the town to be a lazy person, someone who didn't show enthusiasm for anything in particular; he was quiet, but smart and at almost 21, most people considered him to be a _very_ eligible bachelor. His dark hair was pulled into a rough ponytail and his dark eyes scanned the marketplace for anything that seemed out of the ordinary.

"Shikamaru-kun," came a voice from one of the nearby tea-houses. "Are you coming in today?"

Shikamaru turned to the entrance of the tea-house with a fake smile adorning his face.

"Good morning, Inoko-chan," he said to the small, dark-haired woman peering around the doorframe at him. "I was trying to decide where to go for breakfast," he told her, walking in through the door.

"It looks like you've made the right choice, Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru forced his smile to grow at the use of the childish suffix. Inoko and her mother ran the tea-house he usually frequented and every time he was there he was forced to put up with her mother trying to force a date with her daughter on him.

"Would you like to join me, Inoko-chan?" he asked, his gaze piercing her and shattering her wafer thin will.

Inoko's eyes widened at the suggestion and she nodded furiously. "Uh... Of course, Shikamaru-kun," she replied, blushing deeply. "I'll have my mother bring us out something to eat right away."

Shikamaru smiled. If there was anyone in the village who would willingly give him the information he needed it was Inoko.

Two hours later, Shikamaru was sat in his bedroom piecing together the random scraps of information he had gained, wheedling out the information that was useless to him and mentally restoring the parts that would lead him to his mission.

Infiltrate Konoha. Return home.

He would be going to the Land of Fire and attempting to penetrate its highly guarded hidden ninja village. He had direct orders to return afterwards. He would receive the rest of his orders when he met with his guardian for dinner, but one thing was absolute; he was to return alive.

Shikamaru stood up from his uncomfortable position on the floor and crossed the room to his bed. Lying down, he prepared himself for the sleep he knew would eventually come. His mind reeled from the thought of being sent on his first solo mission in another country and one by one, he let the thoughts go; as though his mental hand was simply screwing up bits of paper and throwing them away.

His orders were simple.

Infiltrate Konoha.

Return home.

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><p>After 20 years, one would think it had gotten easier. After 20 years, many people had simply forgotten what had occurred. But, still, after 20 years Shikaku Nara was woken by the sounds of his wife trying to stifle her tears, because, even after 20 years, they had not forgotten, they had not given up hope and it still never got any easier.<p>

oOo

"Hyūga-sama will see you now," said a petite woman from near the door.

"Thank you."

The tall, dark-haired man wrapped a protective arm around his wife and led the way into the meeting room.

A circular table sat in the centre of the room. There were five chairs, three of which were occupied by very similar looking people.

All of them had long dark hair and very light, lavender tinted eyes. They all had high cheekbones and even the men had soft jaw lines. The only female looked to be about 20, and although she had her eyes cast downward, they were sharp, picking up the slight tension in the muscles of the two people who had entered the room.

The young male was slightly older than the woman, but by 2 years at the most. His equally sharp eyes were watching the pair blatantly. He wore a loose white shirt over a mesh t-shirt. His long hair was tied back loosely and his expression was unfathomable.

The older man, the head of the clan, was similarly dressed. Only the faint lines around his eyes suggested he was a lot older than the other two Hyūgas present.

"Shikaku Nara," said the eldest Hyūga. "Welcome, please, take a seat."

With Shikaku and his wife seated, the clan leader sat down. He knew what this was about he just needed to hear it from Shikaku himself.

When Shikaku began to speak, his deep voice was held steady. Neither his nor his wife's face betrayed any emotion.

"It's about my son," Shikaku said. "We have heard the rumours that Neji is the best there is at solving the unsolvable and we wish to hire him. Money is no object. We just need to know what has happened to our son."

"Nara-san," the younger male, Neji, said. "I have heard what occurred with your son and it would be my honour to help. I do not take payment until the end of a case and the fee is fixed at 10,000 ryou."

"Neji feels strongly about things like this," Hiashi Hyūga explained. "When my daughter, Hinata, was three, someone tried to kidnap her. His father died during the event and he has sworn to give his life to protect Hinata and others like her."

"Thank you, Neji," Yoshino said, bowing her head to the young man.

Neji Hyūga was considered in Konoha to be one of the best at finding lost things; members of the public came to him about all sorts of things; people, pets and even jewellery. Nothing was too small or too big for the Hyūga prodigy to focus his mind on. The boy who had been taken 20 years ago was just a few months older than his cousin, Hinata. And he had looked up things about the case a long time before his family were approached to take on the case.

It seemed that Shikaku and Yoshino Nara had been asleep when their only son, Shikamaru had been taken from his bed in the dead of night a month before his first birthday. Yoshino had woken to the sounds of the deer in the forest and had looked out of the window to see a retreating silhouette in the distance. She had then gone to check on her son and found his bed still warm, but empty. Shikaku had given chase to who they assumed to be the kidnappers but the trail had gone cold about two miles outside the village.

The Hokage had been alerted and two teams had been sent to try to recover the infant. One team consisting of skilled tracking members of ANBU, the other, an ANBU captain and members of the Nara, Akimichi and Yamanaka clans. Neither team had any more luck finding the child.

After five years, the Hokage held a memorial service for a child they presumed dead.

Shikaku and Yoshino Nara didn't stop looking. They would not believe they're son was dead until they had a body they could bury themselves.

Neji's family had been lucky compared to the Nara's. They had guards stationed almost everywhere around the compound. Even if you thought you were completely alone, there was nowhere you could go where you weren't being watched by at least three people. When Hinata was three someone had tried to kidnap her, but thanks to her father's guards, the right people were alerted and the danger passed quickly. The only flaw was that the clan who tried kidnapping her had sworn they're revenge and killed his father believing it was the head of the clan.

When he had read about the Nara's problem, he was confused as to why they had not come to his family sooner. It hadn't occurred to him that not all families could afford to throw away his usual fee for lost persons but when he realised that, he had decided that if just for the peace of mind of the Nara's, he would give them the lowest price he could negotiate with his uncle.

Neji prepared several things to take with him on what was likely to be a long journey; a weapons pouch that carried 10 shuriken and a few kunai, a bedroll and backpack filled with clean clothes and non-perishable food and a first-aid kit that was prepared for him by his cousin, Hinata.

The finer details of Shikamaru's kidnapping had been relayed to him by his uncle after the Naras had left. The little evidence that had been found suggested that the boy had been taken west. If this was true, Neji thought to himself, the most logical route would be towards Amegakure, the Hidden Village of the Rain. However, Amegakure was not an easily infiltrated village and Neji had to at least ascertain if the young Nara had been taken there. Closing his eyes for a moment, Neji sighed. He was creating problems for himself before he had even left his home. He would deal with Amegakure if the need should arise. How he hoped that the need would not arise.

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><p>Shikamaru took his place at the table in his guardian's home. The young maid that served them was fluttering her eyelashes at him and he hated it.<p>

"So, old man," he started as he picked up his chopsticks. "What's up with my orders?"

The man was younger than Shikamaru would have placed him. The deep lines around his eyes and mouth aged him almost a decade and the hair that should still be rich with colour was more salt than pepper.

"Tell me what you know, kid," he said.

Shikamaru raised the corner of his mouth in a lazy smirk. "Infiltrate Konoha, return home," he recited. He had spent most of the afternoon running through the orders in his mind and had found no further meaning to them.

"Shikamaru," the old man said, setting down his chopsticks. "There are a few things you should know and now that you are almost of age, you have a right to know them."

Shikamaru followed the man's lead by dropping his chopsticks. He was intrigued, to say the least. "I'm listening."

"You are, of course, aware that you are not a native to this village, or even this land. You were born in the Land of Fire almost 21 years ago, while the third Shinobi war was raging. When you were barely a year old, a team of ninja found you abandoned in the forest bordering the two countries. In a time of war, not many people are willing to take on an extra mouth to feed, let alone one to protect as well, but one of the ninja, was a woman who had lost her own child. She convinced me to bring you back here and look after you until she returned. A few weeks after I brought you back here, she died in the war and so I swore to raise you as my own child.  
>We believe that your allegiance to Amegakure is true, and, as you know, Konoha poses a threat to us. We believe you are the only person who can successfully infiltrate the Land of Fire and return to us with your Intel. With your skills, you could easily become the leader of our village, now that our own is looking for his replacement. This mission will be the perfect opportunity for you to showcase your skills and become acknowledged as one of the top ninja in Amegakure."<p>

"My orders?"

"Infiltrate Konoha, convince them that you are loyal only to the Land of Fire, discover their weaknesses and then return to Ame. If you succeed, you will be hailed as one of the greatest shinobi this village has ever seen. Failure is not an option."

"I understand. When will I set out?"

The old man smiled at his adopted son. "Dawn."

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><p><em>And so it begins.<em>

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><p><strong>[[AN]] Wow... That took a very long time to plan and write and stuff... I've had the rest of the story sort of in my head for a few weeks now and this chapter was originally three, but, after much deliberation (Read: I flipped a coin) I decided to merge them into one big, long, establishing first chapter. **

**I will be attempting to update this every two weeks or so, preferably with nice long chapters like this one. **

** This is my first attempt at an alternate timeline fic so I really would appreciate it if you all let me know what you think =]**

**Lessthanthree you all **

**WatchingAsYouFall  
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	2. Found

**[[A/N]] What's this, Robyn? Another update? But you said two weeks... It's barely been four days!**

**Ok, So the thing is I'm gonna be away for a week or so on Sunday and I'm not going to have a laptop or anything with me. I'd finished writing this last night so I figured before I went away I'd edit and post the next chapter. I will be taking a note pad with me so I will still be able to work on the next chapter, but I won't be able to update or reply to reviews and PMs until at least the 5th of December. How ever when I get back I will almost definitely have an update (and it's going to be a monster! my friend has told me that I have to write at least 2500 words O_O (we set each other challenges, it's best not to ask))!  
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><p>Dawn broke in Konoha, bright and cheerfully. As the sun rose over the Hokage's Monument, Neji was preparing the last of his things to leave. As he put a final scroll in his backpack, he heard a knock at his bedroom door.<p>

"Come in," he called as he tightened the belt of his robes.

"Neji-nii-san."

Neji turned and looked at his youngest cousin, Hanabi.

"Hanabi," he said, crossing the room. "What brings you hear at this hour?"

"I wanted to see you before you left. I overheard you and father speaking last night. He said it's going to be a long journey this time."

Neji smiled slightly at his cousin. "Hanabi, you need not worry yourself. I shall send messages and updates whenever I can. And if you're worried about your training, Hinata is more than capable of helping you now."

Hanabi wrapped her arms around her cousin's waist. "Hurry back, Neji-nii-san."

Neji wrapped his arms gently around Hanabi's shoulders. "I always do.

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><p>Yoshino Nara sighed as she stood up and followed her morning routine. She crossed the hallway to her son's bedroom and ran her fingers over the plaque that bared his name before slowly pushing open the door to a room that hadn't changed in 20 years. Shikamaru's cot was pushed against a faded blue wall. The bed covers he had been snatched from lay rumpled at the foot of the crib. Reaching the small chest that held his clothes, she picked up his favourite bear and held it to her face, trying desperately to recall the scent of her lost son.<p>

Tears rolled from her eyes into the soft, dusty cotton and a strong arm was wrapped around her waist. Turning to her husband, she cried.

Shikaku hated seeing his wife this way. When he had met her, she was so strong and so full of life. Losing their only son had changed her into a shell of her former self.

"Now the Hyūga boy is looking for him, it won't be long before Shikamaru is back where he belongs," he whispered into her hair as he held her close to him.

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><p>Dawn broke in Ame, wet and miserable. Dark storm clouds drifted through the sky while releasing an unrelenting downpour on the village. Shikamaru stretched and got out of bed. It had taken him a long time to go over everything he had heard from the old man last night. He had been abandoned by his family when he was still just a baby and the enemy of his native country had taken him in. He was determined to pay back that debt to the man he had grown up calling father.<p>

He hurriedly dressed in plain black pants and a mesh shirt before making his way downstairs to eat breakfast.

Ten minutes later, Shikamaru was ready to set out on what he was told would be a six month mission. In those six months, he had to get to and become a part of Konoha and find the weakness in the link that was the Fire Country. He was given a horse, a gentle mare he had ridden only a few times before and was made to look like he had been travelling for a long time. No one could know that he had been in Ame. He was to go without weapons, the longer he could put off using Taijutsu, the better. He was to seem like an ordinary citizen.

Once he had mounted the horse, he turned to his father. "Until spring," he said by way of a farewell.

"Good luck," the old man said. "And remember, they will tell you anything to trick you, you cannot trust Konoha. We're counting on you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded and set off out the gates of the village he had grown up in, the village he called home.

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><p>Neji had been travelling for two days on foot. He had reached one of the western most villages that the land of Fire had to offer but was still at least a three day walk from Amegakure. The western towns did not line up with the western border at all. With the hidden village being in the centre of a very large country, a border village often meant more skirmishes between neighbouring countries.<p>

He was stopping in a post town for the night but before he could do anything such as finding a place to sleep and possibly a warm bath, he had to find a horse to carry him on the next part of his journey; the Western Desert that he had to cross would be hellish if he had to do it on foot.

It was called a desert, but in reality it was more like a dusty plain. On the other side were the marsh lands that technically belonged to Ame and then the small, but very industrialised village itself. Once Neji set out in the morning, there would be no such luxuries as a hot bath and a warm bed; he would be sleeping under the stars with little or no cover.

After Neji had found a horse, a chocolate brown mare named Masami and had stabled her for the night, ready for the morning. After he checked into an onsen, he undressed and slipped a towel around his waist ready to make his way to the hot springs themselves.

As the hot water surrounded him, he felt every muscle in his body relax. His long dark hair was tied up and just the ends floated in the water. His eyes fluttered shut as he let the water ease his aching legs, arms and shoulders.

Just as he was fading into a tranquil serenity, he heard a cry for help. His eyes snapped open and as he jumped out of the spring, he used his Byakugan to scan the surrounding area. He dried himself quickly, threw on a yukata and rushed to the scene of the commotion

A young man, no older than he was, had came into town unconscious on the back of a horse. His clothes were dusty and muddy and he had a deep cut running across his right cheek. His hair was cut choppily and hung lank to his shoulders, slightly wavy.

While two of the villagers lifted the unconscious man off his horse, a third took the reins and led it towards the stable where Neji had stabled his own mare earlier that evening.

A small circle formed around the man and as Neji got closer, he made out the features of his face; the thin, arched eyebrows, the small slightly pointed nose and uneven lips that were pulled into a grimace of pain.

"What should we do with him?" he heard one of the villagers say.

"We can't afford to give him treatment here," said anther voice.

Still staring at the face of the man on the floor at his feet, Neji said, quietly, "I'll take him."

He looked up to face the villagers' looks of disconcertion.

"I'll take him," he said again, slightly louder.

"And what exactly can you do for him?" asked what looked like the older of the two.

Neji knelt down and brushed a greasy lock from the young man's face. "Maybe nothing," he said. "But I am not completely inept."

His mission to find the Nara boy had been a success and he had barely done anything.

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><p><strong>[[AN]] So, Neji's "found" Shikamaru (I know it was quick but really, both are travelling alone and nothing really exciting happened.) I'll explain the cut on Shikamaru's cheek in the next chapter, there is a reason for it!**

**In the next chapter you can expect more of Neji being mostly naked, Shikamaru being just as naked (not together, get your mids out of the gutter!) and potentially a return to Konoha, but I'm thinking of leaving that for a few more chapters so I can build on Neji and Shikamaru's relationship.**

**EDIT: so I've roughly edited the end of this chapter and I think it's so much better now (yes it really was that bad!)  
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**Reviews are love!**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	3. Shikamaru, Meet Neji

**[[A/N]] Ok, I'll admit it, this was a bitch to write. Just when I thought I was happy with it, I re-read it and decided that everything was happening waaaaaay too fast (because I want to hurry up and get to the good parts, obviously). It's still not quite as I would like it to be but I did promise an update**.

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><p>Neji arrived back at the ryokan a few minutes later with the Nara slung over his shoulder. Gently, he placed the younger man on his futon and began to clean up his dusty face. When he was clean, Neji pulled his first aid kit from his pack and applied a healing salve to the deep cut on Shikamaru's cheek.<p>

Clean, dry and sleeping peacefully, Neji was positive this was the person he had been looking for. Shikamaru's dark hair was the same length and style as his father's and Neji would bet anything that his eyes were the same intense shade of brown, too.

Pulling a small scroll from his pack, Neji made his way over to the small table in the corner of the room. Unfurled, the scroll bore symbols for a summoning and after Neji had made the hand seals, a small white pigeon cooed at him.

A few moments later, a note had been tied to the bird's leg and Neji released it out of the window into the night.

This time tomorrow, Neji would be back in Konoha, assuming there were no delays.

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><p>"Do you think he'll find him?"<p>

Opalescent eyes connected with deep brown. "I have every faith my nephew will find the truth about Shikamaru," the Hyūga head said to the bearded Jounin. "Shikaku, you need to stop worrying about this until we hear from Neji."

"I haven't stopped worrying for 20 years, Hiashi," Shikaku said with a snort. "I'm not going to stop because a kid barely older than Shikamaru would be is looking now."

"How is Yoshino?" Hiashi asked, calmly taking a sip of his sake.

Shikaku ran a hand over his face and sighed. Yoshino wasn't good. She had spent most of the last two days wandering the house waiting for news and cleaning when just waiting had taken its toll on her mind. Shikaku had watched his wife do the same thing 20 years ago when their son had first been taken and search parties had been sent out. Thinking about it, Yoshino was no longer the strong, powerful woman he had married. He was a master of the shadows and somehow, he had never managed to get deep enough to pull his wife back. "Yoshino has been too far gone for a long time. I don't think she could take another dead end," Shikaku told his old friend. "She tries to act normal but it doesn't fool me anymore."

Hiashi stayed silent. It had taken the Nara's a long time to come to his family for help and he was praying to whatever gods were listening that Neji found a lead to follow, just a trace of the boy would give enough hope for now.

Shikaku picked up his cup and slowly raised it. With a wry smile, he said, "Neji's our last hope, i can only pray that he's better than the Hyūga that was sent looking last time."

"If there is anything left to find of your son, he will find it. I believe in him, Shikaku, and you should too."

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><p>Shikamaru sat up quickly, cold sweat, dripping off his face.<p>

_It was a dream_

The bitter, slightly metallic taste in his mouth, however, was very real. Slowly, he raised a hand to wipe his mouth.

_Blood?_

He must have bitten his tongue to wake himself up. For the first time since he came to consciousness, Shikamaru took scope of his surroundings. He was laying on a soft futon in a dim room. Glancing towards the window, he realised that the sun was just rising in the eastern sky.

As Shikamaru looked around the room, the door opened and in walked a tall man. His long brown hair was tied back loosely with a few dark strands framing his ashen face. His pale lavender eyes found Shikamaru's in an instant and for the briefest of moments time had lost all meaning to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru's eyes flickered a little higher for a second, finding the hitai-ate bearing the symbol of Konohagakure. His breath hitched slightly in his throat.

_Could it really be this easy?_

"Good morning," the brunette in the doorway said.

_You are scared. You are not a shinobi; you are a lost civilian trying to find his home. You need to get to Konoha._

"Who are you," Shikamaru asked, his voice laced with fake worry.

"Please forgive me," the man said as he sat down in the proper seiza style and gave a short, polite bow. "My name is Neji Hyūga."

_Hyūga?__ Shit._

"Where am I?" Shikamaru asked in the same tone.

"You are in the Land of Fire," the Hyūga told him in a refined tone. "May I ask your name?"

_Lie. Lie._

"Shikamaru."

_What part of that was a lie?_

"Shikamaru-san, I have been commissioned to take to Konohagakure, the Land of Fire's hidden village."

_You have got to be kidding me._

"Commissioned by whom?" the concern in his voice this time was authentic.

Neji cocked an eyebrow slightly before regaining his composure. "I am afraid I cannot divulge that information, however if you would accompany me back to Konoha, you will soon find out."

_What the hell?_

Shikamaru stood up and rubbed a hand over his face, desperately trying to clear his mind. Sighing, he looked at the Hyūga still sat on the floor. "Fine," he mumbled. "But you can tell me everything on the way."

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><p>A sharp rap at the door woke Yoshino Nara from her fitful sleep. She was lying on the sofa in her front room, a sheet draped over her. Too tired to move, she lay still and listened as her husband opened the door. Soft tones reached her ears but in her confused, sleep-addled state, she could not decipher the words.<p>

Her eyes fluttered shut again as her husband came into the room. He knelt down beside her and took one cold hand between his own.

"Yoshino," he said softly. "Are you awake?"

Yoshino's eyes opened again by way of an answer and her gaze flitted to her husband's face.

"He found him, Yoshino," Shikaku said in the same gentle tone. "Shikamaru's coming home."

Yoshino's eyes filled with tears. 20 years of heartache and pain vanished instantly to be replaced with relief and joy. After 20 years, she would finally see her baby again.

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><p><strong>[[AN]] So Yoshinon and Shikaku know that Neji has found Shikamaru. Neji now knows that is in fact Shikamaru. Shikamaru's confused as hell and this chapter didn't conform to it's plan in the slightest... **

**I will warn you all now that updates may be kind of slow this month. Unfortunately, writing fanfiction won't keep food on my table and I've had to take extra shifts this month to make up for spending stupid amounts of money on Christmas. I will update when I can though, all I ask is that people be patient if they seem a little slow. (I have a few later chapters written already so when I get to that point you'll have less time to wait).**

**[[Chapter edited, mistakes fixed.]]  
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**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall  
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	4. On The Road Again

**[[A/N]] I'm beginning to see a pattern with my chapters... they're getting shorter and shorter... I think I'm trying to get the boring bit out of the way so I can get to the good bits (they're just getting further and further away) but I promise the next chapter will be longer and (hopefully) I'll get my first major plot-point addressed then too =] **

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><p>Neji had decided to keep the horse he had stabled the night before and had seen that the Horse Shikamaru had rode in on was fed and cleaned before they set out. The journey back to Konoha would be quicker on horseback and he was sure the Naras would appreciate his quick return.<p>

As he sorted through his mind for the information he could safely divulge to the sceptical Nara, Shikamaru was inspecting his body for various wounds.

"What happened to my cheek," he asked Neji as he gazed into the mirror, running his fingers over the almost healed cut.

"I can only assume that you were attacked," Neji replied. "I healed it as best I could but medical Ninjutsu has never been my forte."

Shikamaru shot a glance into the mirror at the Hyūga behind him. The cut had been deep, he was sure of it. He'd had to make it deep to lose enough blood to pale his complexion; and yet Neji had healed it almost completely in just one night.

"We should move out soon," Neji said, rousing Shikamaru from his thoughts. "If we leave immediately, we should be in Konoha before nightfall."

"Right," Shikamaru said.

They walked to the stables talking about Neji's life in Konoha. Shikamaru learned that he was a ninja and although he already knew about Hyūgas, he'd done a good job of pretending he knew nothing about the prestigious clan and their Dōjutsu. As they rode out of the post town, they fell into a comfortable silence, each engrossed in their own thoughts.

Shikamaru wondered how he was going to learn about the Konoha shinobi and their abilities. He was an outsider and surely they wouldn't allow him to know their innermost secrets. Even Neji had been vague about his Byakugan; he hadn't told Shikamaru that Main family members eyes could be extracted and transplanted into people, he hadn't told him that Branch family members were sealed so their abilities would not fall into enemy hands. Shikamaru already knew this but the fact that Neji had failed to disclose the information, even though he'd told Shikamaru all about his family's personal lives made Shikamaru realise that his mission would be more than just getting into Konoha.

Neji was contemplating the younger man. He had shown up in the post town injured and unconscious, yet he had said nothing about the people who had attacked him, or asked how he had gotten to the small village. Aside from a few bruises and the cut on his cheek, he was uninjured. His lazy gait suggested very little pain and Neji's quick inspection of his body the night before had shown no internal injuries.

Shikamaru was the one to break the silence, a lot later in the afternoon.

"So, what's Konoha like?" he asked as he inspected the Hyūga's proud profile.

Neji's eyes flickered to the Nara for a moment before his gaze turned ahead again. "Konoha is more than a village now. It has grown in the last several decades and is now the size of a small city. However, we are a very close community; most of us would do whatever we can to help another person in the village, even if it is not our duty."

Shikamaru scoffed slightly at the last word. Duty had never been something he worried about. If he had done anything, it was because he wanted to, not because it was his duty.

"What happens?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm sorry?"

"When we get to Konoha," Shikamaru elaborated. "What happens then?"

Neji inhaled deeply as he surveyed the surrounding area. The sun was sinking fast and he estimated them to be just an hour or so outside the village. "I shall take you to the Hokage. She will inform you of the situation and call in the people who commissioned me to find you. After that, I don't know."

Gold connected with silver for a brief moment before turning and resting on two pairs of brown.

"According to the message Neji sent, he and Shikamaru should be arriving sometime this evening," Tsunade stated, already aware that the other three people in the room knew this. "Yoshino, Shikaku, I understand that you would like to see Shikamaru immediately, but we have no idea where he's been for the last twenty years or what he's been doing. With or without your consent I would like Ibiki to speak with him."

Yoshino's face dropped while Shikaku's features contorted in outrage. "You want our son interrogated?" he asked. "He did nothing wrong, you can't –"

"Shikaku, calm down!" Tsunade's tone expressed the finality she was unwilling to otherwise demonstrate. "Shikamaru will not be interrogated; he is going to be questioned about his whereabouts. That is all." Her tone softened slightly as she watched the Nara Jōnin's eyes soften as he turned to his wife. "When Neji gets back, I will assign him to be Shikamaru's guide for the duration he's in the village. I will send Neji and Shikamaru to you when Ibiki has finished. Have I made myself clear?"

Shikaku shot a frosty look at the Hokage before answering. "Crystal," he said as he led his wife from the room.

"Excuse me, Hokage-Sama," Hiashi said, speaking for the first time since he'd entered the room. "I don't believe you asked me to come here to witness a scene. Would you care to explain?"

"Hiashi, a possibly scared 21 year old will be coming to our village. The only person he knows is your nephew. I want you to be prepared for the possibility that Shikamaru isn't going to want to stay with his family in their home. If he has come with Neji willingly, it is safe to say that on some level, Shikamaru trusts him. It will be understandable if, after everything I have to tell him, he wants something somewhat familiar."

"I shall have a guest room prepared in the morning. I assume you will want him checked out at the hospital, just in case," Hiashi said in a calm voice.

Tsunade stood and looked out of the window. "I sometimes wonder if mind reading comes with the Byakugan," she said, her lips rising in a small smile.

"Can you see it yet?" Neji asked Shikamaru, His Byakugan activated.

"See what?" Shikamaru asked looking carefully into the distance in the same direction Neji was looking.

"I guess it's still too soon for you," Neji replied. "Konoha is just up ahead."

Shikamaru's heart began to beat wildly in his chest. His hands began to shake and nervousness filled him. He glanced quickly at Neji and was surprised to see the Hyūga looking at him.

"Relax, Shikamaru. You'll be fine."

Shikamaru took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to calm his racing heart and steady his shaking limbs.

He had still gleaned no insight as to why someone from Konoha would be looking for him and until he knew that, he was driving blind, a plan he did not like. He was the greatest strategist in Ame, if he could not figure out a plan to get himself out of the trouble Konoha were likely to bring upon him then it simply could not be done.

He theorised that it couldn't be something really bad, Konoha had sent just one ninja after him. It wasn't as though he was a missing-nin or a criminal, if he had been, there would have been a squad; no, for now, Shikamaru was fine.

"Shikamaru."

Neji's voice, once again, pulled him from his thoughts. He looked at the Hyūga with wide eyes.

"Everything will be fine," Neji told him, leaning across and putting a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "I promise."

Shikamaru turned to face forward again and as he did, his eyes greeted the sight of Konoha's large main gate

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><p><strong>[[AN]] Ok... So we're back in Konoha, it's time to start getting some more players in (or not, they aren't really necessary for the next chapter but after they will be) . **

**Lessthanthree you all!**

**WatchingAsYouFall  
><strong>


	5. Enter, Ibiki Morino

**[[A/N]] This chapter was a nightmare to write and it's not even that long... I just couldn't seem to get myself out of "dialogue-writing mode" and into "make sense dammit! mode"... **

**oh well, I hope you enjoy it even though there's really not that much going on here... **

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><p>The sun dipped behind the Konoha monument as Neji and Shikamaru rode into the village. Shikamaru's eyes were taking in each detail; the large fortified gates, the check-in post, the trees with leaves beginning to turn from a luscious green to soft golden browns and yellows. Most of the buildings were only about three floors high, all except for a large round building with the fire symbol hanging on it. Shikamaru hazard a guess that it was the Hokage's tower.<p>

He dismounted his horse a few seconds after Neji and continued to look around while listening to the conversation behind him.

"Checking in, Hyūga?"

"Those are the rules aren't they, Kamizuki," Neji retorted with a smirk.

"Stop being a smart ass, Neji and sign the book," came another voice.

"Any other orders?" Neji asked as he scrawled his name and Shikamaru's onto a scroll.

"Yeah, the Hokage wants you to report in, and I quote, 'like it already happened.'"

"Message received. Thank you, Izumo, Kotetsu."

Hearing Neji's message, Shikamaru turned and sighed. "Here we go then," he said to the Hyūga as they began to walk, first to the stables nearby and then to the Hokage Tower. The bright red and gold hues were a stark contrast to the greys Shikamaru was used to in Ame.

"This is where the Hokage lives?" Shikamaru asked as he and Neji climbed the stairs to the administration building.

Neji let out a small chuckle and pointed out of a nearby window. "No, the Hokage lives over there; this is part of the Ninja Academy. Come on, she doesn't like to be kept waiting. There will be plenty of time for sightseeing later."

Shikamaru nodded and followed after Neji to the top of the stairs and into a hallway. Two men stood either side of a single door. As Neji raised his hand to knock, a sharp voice called out from the other side of the door.

"Just get in here, Hyūga."

Tsunade watched as the composed Hyūga and his companion entered the room. She surveyed Shikamaru with narrowed eyes as he glanced nervously around the room before his eyes finally settled on her.

"Hokage-Sama," Neji greeted with a bow. Shikamaru quickly followed suit, to which Tsunade responded with a raised eyebrow.

"What does he know?" the Hokage asked, her searching eyes still on the Nara.

"Nothing," Neji replied. "It was not my place to say anything. I thought it best to leave it to you and those concerned."

If possible, Tsunade's eyebrow rose even higher. It certainly explained Shikamaru's skittish behaviour, she thought.

"Very well. Neji, you are dismissed for now, Ibiki should be on his way to speak to Shikamaru. I would like you to report to me in the morning, 8 o'clock sharp, I want you to be Shikamaru's guide while he's in the village."

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, I think I misheard you," Neji replied. "I thought you said Ibiki was on his way."

Tsunade's hands dropped to the desk in front of her. "You heard me correctly, Hyūga," She said, her tone daring him to make a scene.

"Ibiki Morino?"

"I don't know any other Ibiki's in this village, Hyūga, do you?"

"Is there a reason the commanding officer of our Torture and Interrogation Force is coming to 'speak' to Shikamaru?" Neji asked, striding over to the desk and placing both hands flat on top.

"Is there any reason he shouldn't?" Tsunade countered, standing and mirroring Neji's pose.

Neji took a deep breath and raised his chin slightly. "He needs to be checked out at the hospital," Neji said accepting his defeat in the matter and changing the topic.

"I will see to it," Tsunade replied, taking her seat. "You are dismissed, Hyūga." The finality in her tone was clear.

Shikamaru hadn't heard the last part of this exchange, his mind was reeling over the interrogation and torture part of the conversation, the next thing he was aware of was Neji brushing past him and leaving the room. His eyes followed the Hyūga until the door closed and Tsunade calling his name forced him to turn and look at the woman and for the first time since he'd entered the room, he actually saw her.

Her long blonde hair was tied back into two loose ponytails and her golden-brown eyes were narrowed, still surveying him intensely. Shikamaru struggled to keep his eyes off her large breasts as she studied him.

They stayed absorbed in the silence for a few more moments, each studying the other, before Tsunade spoke up.

"Shikamaru, huh," she asked rhetorically.

"So I've been told," Shikamaru replied, carefully.

"By who?"

Shikamaru thought over her question carefully. "My father," he finally said.

The tension stretched between them as each analysed the other. A few moments later, heavy footsteps outside announced the arrival of Ibiki. Shikamaru quietly tried to calm himself as the door opened.

Ibiki was a tall, imposing person. The scars that marred his face suggested more than a few battles won and lost and with Shikamaru's knowledge of his job title, he could see why the man that now stood between him and the fifth Hokage was the head of torture and interrogation.

Ibiki's dark eyes wandered from Tsunade to Shikamaru, carefully taking in every detail. His tall spiky hair added a few inches to his height and his dark eyes were narrowed, giving nothing away. He was without a doubt the son of Shikaku Nara, what Ibiki had to find out was if his allegiances lay with someone other than the Fire country.

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><p><strong>[[AN]] About half way through I wrote this:**

Shikamaru said fuck this and went back to Ame, didn't fall in love with the troublesome Hyūga and they both lived happily ever after separately instead of all the crap I've got planned that will eventually bring them together with an unbreakable bond. =P

**Then decided that it would be really anti climactic and you'd all probably hate me.**

**In case you didn't realise yet, the next chapter is going to be a severe grilling of Shikamaru by Ibiki. What will happen? Who knows? (I do, mwahahahahaha.)**

**In case I don't update in time for Christmas/Yule/Hanukkah/whatever-holiday-you-all-celebrate-at-this-time-of-year Happy *insert-holiday-here*  
><strong>

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	6. The Calm Before The Storm

**[[A/N]] Almost three weeks since my last update, yikes! but this one is at least the right side of 1000 words and I introduce a few more main characters (although I haven't decided if they're gonna take a big role in the story yet) and it is kinda dialogue heavy. It's also not the interrogation I promised (or I think I promised) but I'm quite happy with this chapter (even if not the time it took me to update).**

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><p>Three hours later, Ibiki walked back into Tsunade's office. He sat down on a chair opposite her desk and sighed.<p>

"It seems the boy knows nothing," Ibiki told Tsunade in a weary voice. "Unless you want Inoichi to give him the once over just to be safe, I'd say he's no threat to Konoha or the Fire Country."

"You're positive?" Tsunade asked, touching the tips f her fingers together and staring at the interrogation specialist over the top.

"Absolutely. It seems he was abandoned a little way into the Wind country and a family there brought him up. He was wearing the bracelet Yoshino bought him when he was born and that's how they knew to call him Shikamaru."

"Very well," Tsunade said closing her eyes. "You're dismissed." She turned to the corner behind the door. "Shizune, take Shikamaru to the hospital and get him checked over. He can spend the night there, I need a drink." With that, the Fifth Hokage rose from her seat and made her way to the door, following her subordinates. Somewhere in Konoha, there was a warm bottle of sake with her name on it.

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><p>Shikamaru leant his head back until it touched the wall. Somewhere in this village were his real parents. People who, he had been told, had abandoned him. All he had left of these people was a small silver band with his name on it; a baby's bracelet. It was this band he now spun between his fingers, seeking a familiar comfort from the cool metal. The door to the room opened letting in light brighter than that which currently occupied the room and silhouetted in the door was a woman.<p>

"Shikamaru." Her voice was softer than he had expected and as he turned to look at her fully, he saw she was holding a small pink pig which let out a small sound. "I have been ordered to take you to Konoha hospital where you shall spend the rest of the night."

Shikamaru stood up and walked across the room towards the door. He was more than a head taller than the woman but her dark eyes and strangely sharp, yet soft features made her seem taller.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked as he studied her face.

"I am Shizune, I am the Hokage's advisor," she replied before holding the pig in his face and making him take a step back on instinct. "This is Tonton. Follow me please." Shizune turned on her heel and walked down the long corridor waiting for the slightly stunned Shikamaru to follow her.

A few minutes later, Shikamaru had been led through the streets of Konoha to the hospital and was told to sit in one of the chairs in the waiting room while Shizune walked towards the desk. He watched as a girl around his age wearing medical robes led a patient towards the exit with a smile and waved him off. Her long blonde hair was tied back and as she turned to walk back, Shikamaru caught a glance of her bright blue eyes. He watched as she stood next to Shizune, talking about something and bit his lip as she raised her head from the papers on the desk to glance at him. He cocked an eyebrow at her as her face flushed a pale pink for a brief moment before her gaze turned back to Shizune and she nodded furiously before leaving. Suppressing the urge to chuckle, Shikamaru crabbed his fingers and closed his eyes. He needed to figure out his next move.

A thousand different thoughts sped through his mind as he thought of different scenarios and outcomes. And after quickly juggling through what could easily go wrong and get him killed, he'd settled on his plan. His eyes opened as Shizune drew closer to him, he was 200 moves ahead right now, all he needed to do was get through the night and the following morning and he could start.

"I'm going to take you to a private room," Shizune said. "One of the medics will stop by to check your wounds and heal you then tomorrow Neji Hyūga will come and get you before you meet with the Hokage again."

Shikamaru nodded and followed as he was led to a simple room with a bed, side table, wardrobe and a few chairs. The window next to the bed looked out over the Hokage's monument and the academy. As soon as he had removed his shoes, Shikamaru lay down on the bed, his arms curled under his head. A quick tap on the door signalled the arrival of the medic.

"Shikamaru," Shizune said. "This is Sakura Hanuro, She a medical ninja and will be taking care of you tonight."

"Right," Shikamaru replied, his tone bored and his eyes still closed. He heard the door close and opened one of his eyes to look around the room.

Shizune had left leaving him and Sakura alone. As far as they knew he was a civilian with no training in Ninjutsu. They didn't know that he was officially one of the strongest ninja in Ame and they had no idea what he was really capable of.

Sakura turned to look at him carefully. Renowned for being one of the strongest konoichi Konoha had produced since Tsunade, she had no worries about the skinny man on the bed. Shizune had mentioned that he was a part of the Nara clan and if he had training would no doubt be formidable but right now he was just a patient.

Shikamaru watched as the pink haired girl studied him carefully. His master, Haishin, had told him about some people from Konoha; the three legendary Sannin, two of which were now dead, and their students. Jiraiya and Naruto; Naruto being the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. Orochimaru and Sasuke, the last Uchiha and finally Tsunade, the fifth Hokage who was both strong and smart, and her student Sakura who was known to be able to counter almost any poison and had the same strength as her master. With her soft features and wide, innocent eyes, Shikamaru had to wonder if there were two Sakuras running around Konoha.

The dim green glow of chakra pulled him from his thoughts and he realised that while he had been lost in thought, Sakura had began healing him. After he'd finished on the cut on his cheek, she ran a finger over the slightly raised scar that lay in its place.

"Neji did a good job healing this, in a few weeks you'll never even know it was there," she said with a small smile.

"My thoughts exactly," Shikamaru replied.

"There are a few bruises on your ribs but they'll go soon," Sakura told him. "Other than that you'll be fine."

"Thanks, er –" he let his sentence trail off.

"Sakura," Sakura reminded him.

"Thanks, Sakura-san," he said with a smile.

Sakura waved her hand in front of her face. "There's no need to be formal," she said. "Just Sakura is fine."

Shikamaru smiled again. "Everyone in Konoha seems to be really close," he said. "Even when addressing the Hokage –"

Sakura let out a small laugh and pulled a chair up beside the bed to sit on. "Tsunade-sama is a very loose leader," she told him. "Sometimes I think that if it wasn't for Shizune hardly anything would get done in the village."

"What's with the pig?" Shikamaru asked. "Whatsername... Tonton?"

"Tonton is kind of like a ninken. If there's someone in the village and Tsunade-sama needs to see them, she'll use Tonton to sniff them out."

"A tracker-pig?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the thought before quickly dismissing it as he heard a knock on the door. Looking up, he saw the blonde medic from earlier enter the room.

"Hey, Billboard-brow," she said. "Are you finished?"

"Of course I am Ino-pig," Sakura replied sweetly. "After all, it was _me_ healing him. I suppose if it were you you'd have taken twice as long."

Shikamaru watched the exchange curiously before he heard his name.

"Shikamaru-san," the blonde said. "Shizune told me you hadn't eaten since you'd arrived in the village so I brought some food for you."

"Oh," Shikamaru said. "Thanks –"

"Ino, Ino Yamanaka."

"Her family run the flower shop a few minutes from here," Sakura told him. "But she's a decent shinobi," she added, smiling at Ino.

"Thanks, Ino-san," Shikamaru repeated as he took the boxed food from the blonde. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe all the medics in Konoha were also shinobi or just the ones that he had seen.

"Well," Sakura said. "We'll leave you in peace to eat and sleep. Goodnight."

"Thank you again," Shikamaru said. "Both of you."

"No problem," Ino said with a smile and a wink. "Goodnight."

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><p><strong>[[AN]] Sooo... What did you guys think? No matter where I take this Ino and Choji have to be involved at some point because I can't really think of a decent way to get around the Ino-Shika-Cho thing.**

**And Shikamaru has decided on a plan (which if you don't have an IQ of 200 can be really difficult to come up with and plug all the holes)**

**And then there's Neji! What's happening with him I hear you ask! All (or at least some) will be revealed soon! **

**Also on a side note that none of you are probably interested in, I have officially added "Lessthanthree" to the dictionary on my browser because I'm fed up of seeing the squiggly red line underneath it...  
><strong>

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	7. A Glance

**[[A/N]]**** The long awaited Chapter 7 is here! Throw up your arms in celebration****! Or don't. I don't mind as long as you read and enjoy it =] **

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><p>It had been a long time since Shikamaru had been woken by the sun but as the bright rays burst over the mountain and through the trees it seemed the village of Konoha came to life once again. Within a few minutes, he could hear shopkeepers opening up and displaying their wares outside on the street; he could hear children shouting and laughing as they played under the watchful eyes of parents. These sounds were unfamiliar to him, not because he had never heard them but because in Ame there was no chance for children to play in the street, the constant rain had stopped shopkeepers displaying on the streets.<p>

Shikamaru climbed out of the bed and winced slightly as his feet touched the cool hospital floor. The sunlight seeped through the branches of the trees, accenting the deep gold and brown of the leaves. It was a sight unlike any Shikamaru had seen before, one that would be imprinted in his memory for a long time to come.

"Shikamaru-san."

Shikamaru turned at the sound of his voice to see Ino stood in the door.

"I brought you some breakfast," she told him. "Neji Hyūga will be here shortly to take you to see Tsunade-sama."

"Thank you, Ino," Shikamaru said. As he looked down at what he considered to be far too much food for one person to eat he looked up at the blonde. "Would you like to join me?" he asked.

Ino blushed slightly before answering. "I... Really shouldn't," she said.

"Oh come on," Shikamaru replied with a grin. "I want you to tell me a little more about Konoha." He caught her hesitant look and smiled. "Please?"

Ino felt any resolve she had fall apart at the sight of Shikamaru's smile. She could feel the heat of a blush creeping up her face and took a deep breath. "Ok," she said after a few seconds and as Shikamaru began to mix an egg into his rice, she picked up a piece of toast. "What else did you want to know?" Ino asked after a few minutes had passed in silence.

Shikamaru smiled sheepishly. "There wasn't really anything," he told her. "I just wanted your company." Shikamaru watched for her response and when he caught the hint of pink on her cheeks he smiled inwardly.

_Hook, line and sinker._

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><p>Neji Hyūga woke with a sigh. He had arrived back at the Hyūga complex late last night and had been up until the early hours, unable to sleep. There was something about Shikamaru Nara that made him uneasy but he couldn't honestly say he disliked it. A soft knock on the door roused him from his thoughts and with yet another low sigh, he called "come in."<p>

Neji was greeted by his younger cousin, Hinata. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders as she poked her head around the door.

"Neji-nii-san," she said. "Father has requested that you join us for breakfast. He wishes to discuss your retrieval mission."

"I shall join you shortly," Neji said. "Thank you, Hinata-sama."

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><p>"He's Shikaku's son, I'm sure he's just as smart as his old man. I don't like it."<p>

"The Fifth has made her decision. I did suggest it last night but she thought it was best not to."

"From what I hear he's just as charming as Shikaku was when he was younger. Ino came home from the hospital last night smiling about the kid. I haven't seen her that worked up about a guy since the Uchiha."

"Shizune said something about her blushing when he caught her looking at him in the hospital when she came to get Tsunade last night. And as long as he's as faithful to the village as his old man, I don't care if every girl in Konoha faints as he walks by."

"Easy for you to say, Ibiki, you haven't got a daughter."

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><p>Shikamaru wasn't surprised that Ino liked to talk, he wasn't surprised that the konoichi required little encouragement to keep talking about seemingly meaningless things and he wasn't surprised that like most of the women he knew she only seemed to talk about her friends and boys. Sakura, she told him, was obsessed with a former ninja who had left the village years ago only to return after the war. He'd had his chakra sealed upon his return. Sasuke Uchiha would have been a formidable opponent to anyone who crossed Konoha but because he was labelled a missing-nin he had two choices, be killed or be sealed and on the advice of Naruto Uzumaki, the Hero of Konoha. It was valuable information for Ame, but of course, Ino didn't know that.<p>

Shikamaru glanced at the clock above the door. "I hate to interrupt you, Ino," he said. "But my meeting with the Hokage is in a few minutes and I need to get ready."

Ino stood up quickly. "I'm so sorry, Shikamaru, I got carried away."

Shikamaru smiled. "It's fine, maybe we can continue this conversation later," he said.

Ino's cheeks flushed again as she smiled. "I'd like that," she replied shyly.

"I'll see you later then," Shikamaru said, dismissing her quickly.

A few minutes later, Shikamaru was washed and dressed, his mind mulling over the information he had already received. Ino had seemed to be, to him at least, no more than an average konoichi with slightly above average medical skills. From what he had seen and heard of Sakura, the pink haired medic who he'd met the night before seemed the same. Sasuke Uchiha, the only remaining member of the Uchiha clan (and a powerful clan, at that) had been sealed and essentially stripped of chakra. The Hyūga clan, he could find more about from Neji. And then there was the Uzumaki. As a jinchuuriki, he would always be a threat. His bloodline was powerful and his unusually high chakra made him, if possible, even more dangerous. Konoha was almost like a breeding ground for powerful shinobi.

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><p>Neji made his way to the large dining hall in the main house a few minutes after Hinata had told him of his uncle's wishes and within a few minutes of him entering the room, the conversation turned to Shikamaru.<p>

Shikamaru, Neji told them, was a pleasant young man. He was quiet, thoughtful and acted like a perfectly ordinary young civilian. What he didn't tell them was that something about Shikamaru didn't strike him as an ordinary civilian but he couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was.

After making more small talk with his family, Neji excused himself to get ready to meet the Hokage.

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><p>Shikaku Nara walked through Konoha wringing his hands nervously. Yoshino was walking beside him her fists clenched tightly in her pockets. After almost 20 years she would finally see her son again.<p>

Yoshino stopped suddenly as she saw Neji Hyūga walk through the gates to the Hokage tower. Walking next to him, his hands slung deep in his pockets was, undoubtedly, her son.

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><p><strong>Bah... That was short. In the next chapter, the meeting, getting to know the parents and possibly a date. <strong>

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	8. The Reunion

**[[A/N]] Da dada DA! Chapter 8 is here and this is now officially my second longest fic.** **Enjoy!**

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><p>Shikamaru stood nervously in front of Tsunade's desk as the longest few minutes of his life passed slowly. He was looking at the Hokage, watching her mouth move, watching the words fall soundlessly around his deaf ears while his mind raced a mile a minute.<p>

He'd seen them. Just for a second, out of the corner of his eye, he'd seen his birth parents. There was no denying it even to his eyes.

"Tsunade," Shizune said opening the door. "The Naras are here."

Tsunade looked over Shikamaru's shoulder. "Show them in. Neji, Shikamaru, Wait in the room next door. I shall call you in shortly."

The two young men bowed to the Hokage and, Neji leading the way, made their way to the antechamber.

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><p>"You seem somewhat nervous," Neji said as Shikamaru sat down on one of the chairs around a small table.<p>

"I'm about to meet the parents I'd assumed had died for the first time, nervous is a slight understatement," Shikamaru retorted, silently cursing himself for losing his cool so obviously.

Neji smiled softly. "I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but I assume once the shock wears off you'll be happy to get to know them. From what I've heard your parents are very nice people," he said after a few minutes.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes slightly.

"Neji," Tsunade called from the other room. "Please bring Shikamaru through."

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><p>Yoshino took a deep breath as the door on the other side of the room opened. Neji walked through and she grabbed her husband's hand in slight desperation.<p>

Shikaku looked up as he felt his wife's hand close around his own. He squeezed it reassuringly as their son walked through the door behind Neji. It was like looking a mirror that showed himself twenty years previously. Shikamaru was slightly shorter than he was but everything about the boy screamed "Nara". From the way he held himself, a slouched guard pulled up, his eyes hiding his thoughts to the way he pulled one hand from deep in his pocket and ruffled his ponytail at the same time Shikaku did the same thing. Were the lazy Nara mannerisms that deeply ingrained in the family?

Shikamaru's eyes darted between the two strangers who stood in front of him for a second before he retrieved the mental mask he hid behind. Neji walked forward and stood to the side slightly behind his parents. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed slightly before he felt a small tug somewhere he couldn't quite describe pulling him towards the small circle of people.

"Shikaku," Yoshino snapped, hitting her husband lightly in the chest. "Stop it."

The tugging stopped and Shikaku dropped his hands to his side. "I just wanted a better look at him," Shikaku said.

Shikamaru glanced down, his eyes widening slightly as he saw a shadow retreating and blending into the shadows of his parents and Neji.

He looked back up to his parents' faces and felt the shields and masks he'd spent years constructing crumble. It was clear to see he was Shikaku's son, but it was the small details in Yoshino that only someone who knew them intimately would be able to see. The way one eyebrow was almost permanently raised slightly and the slightly uneven lips among other things.

When he finally spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse.

If Yoshino only heard one thing before she died, the two words Shikamaru said would have sufficed.

"Mom? Dad?"

Yoshino nodded and Shikamaru looked down at the ground, expecting to see the shadow pulling him again, but this time he knew very well where the pull was coming from. It was as though someone had attached an invisible string to a part of his chest, slightly off centre and the resulting pull was tugging him towards his parents. What seemed like hours passed before he'd crossed the room.

For the first time in 20 years, Yoshino held her son. She felt Shikaku wrap his arms around the both of them and finally, after only a few seconds, Shikamaru's arms came up and wrapped around the small waist of his mother.

Neji watched the scene unfold before him with a small smile on his face. He glanced over to Tsunade who was smiling too and watched her as she stood up and made her way to the room next door and followed, leaving the family he'd helped reunite to enjoy the emotional reunion.

With one last glance before he closed the door, he caught Shikaku's eye.

_'Thank you.'_

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><p><em><em>**[[A/N]] Ok... that's that bit done. I didn't really want to drag this out any more because I felt this one had to have a slight punch to it. **

**I hope you all enjoyed it!**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall  
><strong>


	9. A Real Apology

**[[A/N]] The next chapter! You may now read the awesomeness I have produced. It's not that awesome, I kid.**

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><p>It was a few more minutes before Shikamaru realised his face was stained with tears. Reluctant to break the warm embrace, he pulled away and wiped his hand over his face. As he looked at his parents he smiled slowly, a strange happiness that he couldn't remember ever feeling washing over him.<p>

"We're so happy you're home, Shikamaru," Yoshino said as she brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face.

With one word, Shikamaru's happiness dissolved. His orders pushed their way to the forefront of his mind.

_Infiltrate Konoha, return home._

_"Infiltrate Konoha, convince them that you are loyal only to the Land of Fire, discover their weaknesses and then return to Ame." _

What had been a happy reunion with long lost family had changed in an instant. This would never be Shikamaru's life because he was loyal only to Amegakure and in the whole of Konoha, only he knew this. Without thinking, Shikamaru turned and ran from the office, through the corridors, down the spiralling staircase and straight into a woman he had never met.

"I'm sorry," she said as she helped Shikamaru off the ground. "Please forgive me, I didn't see you there."

Shikamaru stood up and dusted of his pants. "It's my fault. Sorry." He looked up and met the pale eyes he had seen on only one person previously. "Hyūga, right?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, sorry. I'm Hinata Hyūga, pleased to meet you."

And then the voice of another Hyūga reached his ears.

"Shikamaru, are you out here?"

Shikamaru looked to the top of the stairs just as Neji emerged.

Neji looked down the stairs at Shikamaru and Hinata. Hinata's eyes were wide and Shikamaru looked like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

"Shikamaru, what's wrong?"

The young Nara looked between the cousins and sighed. "I've got to go," he said as he pushed past Hinata and through the street.

"Hinata," Neji said. "Could you go to the Hokage's office and tell Tsunade that I'll bring Shikamaru back soon, please."

Hinata nodded as she moved to the side for her cousin to get past her and give chase to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru stopped running after about five minutes. He had no idea where he was or what would happen to him for running out like that, but in his mind these were the least of his problems. He panted softly as his mind ran through various scenarios. He wasn't sure what it was about Konoha but he felt, for the first time he could remember, that he belonged somewhere now. He belonged here. Leaning against whatever building he'd stopped next to, he ran a hand across his face and wiped away what remained of the tears that had fallen earlier and squeezing his eyes shut he desperately tried to think.

"Are you going to run away again if I come down?" Shikamaru heard from somewhere above him. He looked up and saw Neji looking off into the distance, the veins around his eyes clearly visible and bulging slightly. Shikamaru stayed quiet, mostly because he didn't know how to respond but a part of him wasn't entirely sure that he could control his voice if he spoke.

Neji seemed to take his silence as an affirmative answer and leapt lightly from the roof, landing in front of Shikamaru.

"Would you care to explain what happened?" he asked.

"I freaked out. These are the people I've been told must be dead and in less than a day I've had to accept that they aren't and that they want me to stay here. You could never know how that feels."

"You're right," Neji said, much to Shikamaru's shock.

"Wh... What?"

"I could never know how that feels Shikamaru because my parents are actually dead. I saw my father's body before it was handed over to Kumogakure, as his body had sealed his Byakugan upon death, they no doubt disposed of his body in a way unfitting even for dogs. There is no doubt in my mind that I will ever see him again. If I were you I would embrace this opportunity."

With this, Neji walked away. Shikamaru was acting like a spoilt brat and he hoped this slightly personal form of Shock treatment would work.

Sure enough before Neji rounded the corner, Shikamaru called out to him.

"Neji, wait."

Neji turned slowly, his face a cold mask that he hadn't worn for several years.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I said," Shikamaru said slowly, his eyes on the ground. He raised his eyes slowly but couldn't bring himself to look at Neji's face.

"Apology accepted, you had no idea and it was wrong of me to react the way I did," Neji replied. "I believe Shikaku and Yoshino are still at the Hokage's office, they are the ones you need to apologise to."

Shikamaru nodded and followed Neji as he walked back towards the academy.

They were more than half way back before he realised that when he had apologised to Neji, he had meant it. Yes he had gotten something that could be used as information and yes it had been a somewhat callous way of doing it; but he was a ninja and his job was to outwit the enemy. Why did he feel the need to apologise like he did?

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><p><strong>[[AN]] n a different note, there will most likely not be an update this side of Easter, real life has once again snuck up on me out of nowhere and is making me deal with things.**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	10. Always Watching

**A/N: **Ok... This update is far later than I would have like due to life getting in the way and unfortunately it's also very, very short. HOWEVER I am in the middle of writing the next chapter and hopefully it will be up by the end of the weekend.

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><p>As the pair drew closer to the academy, Shikamaru stopped.<p>

"Neji, wait." Shikamaru reached out to grab Neji's wrist and stop the older ninja.

"What is it?" Neji asked.

"I can't do this," Shikamaru said. "I can't see them again; not yet. I just... I need to let everything sink in."

Neji paused for a moment, studying the younger man carefully before nodding. "I understand," he replied. "But Tsunade-sama will want to see you." Shikamaru nodded and the pair continued walking towards the academy in silence until they got to the stairs.

"Neji," Shikamaru said again, slowing slightly. Neji turned to face Shikamaru once again. "Thanks," Shikamaru whispered before continuing.

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><p>A quick knock on the door roused Shikaku and Yoshino Nara from their thoughts.<p>

"Come in," Tsunade said sharply.

The door opened softly and Neji stepped inside quickly and quietly. He moved into the room and stood midway between the Naras and the door.

"Tsunade-sama," Neji said. "I have found Shikamaru and he is ok. I believe we may have been too hasty regarding the situation as Shikamaru has asked that we stop for the day and maybe meet his parents in a less formal situation tomorrow."

Tsunade studied the young Hyūga carefully over the tips of her fingers before sighing heavily. "That's fine, Neji. Yoshino, Shikaku, Don't worry too much about Shikamaru for now. This must all be a huge shock for him as well, especially when you consider he didn't know if you were dead or alive until he came to Konoha."

Yoshino nodded and Tsunade thought she heard her sniff quietly but when she raised her head, Yoshino's face was hardened in determination. As Shikaku watched his wife, for a brief moment, he was sure he saw the woman he'd married looking out at the world and daring it to get in her way, the same way she looked the first time he'd seen her. For the first time in 20 years, the ghost of a smile graced Shikaku's face and Tsunade didn't miss it.

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><p>Shikamaru paced quickly in the small room Neji had taken him to. When the door opened behind him he turned mid step to look at whoever had come into the room. To his relief Shikamaru found himself looking at Neji. The small smile that had found its way to Shikamaru's face dropped when the door opened wider to reveal none other than the Hokage herself.<p>

"Hokage-sama," Shikamaru greeted bowing shallowly.

"I understand that you wish to continue this tomorrow," Tsunade replied by way of a greeting.

"That's right," Shikamaru replied.

"I believe that Neji's uncle has made arrangements for you to stay on their family's estate while you are here."

Shikamaru glanced sideways at Neji whose face was set in the now familiar mask. Looking back to Tsunade, Shikamaru said, "I understand." And he did. He understood that Neji and his family were trusted shinobi of the Hokage. He understood that Tsunade didn't trust him completely yet. He understood that Tsunade wanted Neji and his family to keep a very close eye on him while he was in Konoha.

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><p><strong>AN If you're still here, Thank you and watch this space for the next update.**

**Lessthanthree you all  
><strong>

**~WatchingAsYouFall  
><strong>


	11. A Morning With Neji

**A/N **Gods it's been a long time. I haven't forgotten about this, I've just been caught up in life (as usual). The good news is that although this chapter may be short, the next one should also be up today. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 11.

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><p>Shikamaru sighed as he retired to the room Neji's family had set up for him in a small side wing of their complex. His room was directly opposite Neji's and looked out onto a small garden that had a meditive feel to it. There was a small rock pond near the wall that surrounded this part of the building and a small <em>engawa <em>circling the building. As Shikamaru sat outside watching the moon cross the sky, Neji came outside holding a tea tray.

"I thought you may like some tea," he said as he placed the tray down and sat next to Shikamaru.

"Thanks," Shikamaru replied, glancing across to Neji for a second before returning his gaze to the sky. "It feels strange to be able to see the moon like this."

"Yes," Neji said. "I've been on missions to the land of the Wind before. Sandstorms make it difficult to see the sky."

Shikamaru let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. It looks so much clearer here."

Neji poured two cups of tea and handed one to Shikamaru. "I usually come out here in the mornings, just before dawn. When the sun is just rising and there's dew on the grass, it's very calming."

The two young men sat quietly for a while sipping their tea slowly and just enjoying the company of each other.

_It's been so long,_ Shikamaru thought, _So long since I've enjoyed being in another person's company like this. So long since I've relaxed this much. _

When the moon had crossed more than halfway across the sky and the temperature had began to drop, Neji stood up.

"It's getting late. You should probably try to sleep. I imagine the excitement of the day has taken it's toll on you."

Shikamaru nodded once and stood, slowly making his way back to his assigned room.

"Goodnight, Shikamaru," Neji said as he closed the door to his own room.

"'Night," Shikamaru replied quietly.

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><p>Shikamaru awoke early again the next morning. He hadn't slept much the night before, chosing instead to lie awake and simply look at the moon through his window. Once again it was the sun gently warming his eyelids that woke him. A quick glance out of the window told him that Neji was already awake and training in the courtyard garden outside. He watched as the older man moved smoothly from one position to another before standing up straight.<p>

"Shikamaru, why don't you come outside and watch me train instead of looking on from your room like a not so sneaky spy?"Neji said just loud enough for Shikamaru to hear him. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly before walking out onto the engawa, shuddering slightly as the early morning wind hit his bare chest.

"How did you know I was watching you?" Shikamaru asked, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around himself.

Neji continued moving slowly and smoothly from one pose to another before turning to face Shikamaru with the same grace.

"It... Runs in the family," he said slowly. Realising that Neji didn't want to disclose his family's secrets to a stranger, Shikamaru nodded and stretched as he stood up.

"Are you always up this early?"

Neji nodded. "I usually train for a while out here before meeting my teammates and sparring with them for an hour or so before breakfast."

"You spar with your teammates every day?" Shikamaru asked. The concept of sparring wasn't new to him but how three people could spar together every day was. Where he came from, when you sparred a winner was only decided when one person was incapacitated.

"I see." Shikamaru said. "Do you mind if I come too?"

"You're more than welcome. I expect you'd prefer to watch us than try to make small talk with my uncle," Neji replied with a slight grin.

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><p>The training ground where Neji trained was on a hill near the outskirts of the village. Sat under a tree were two people who Shikamaru could only assume were Neji's teammates. As Neji headed towards them, Shikamaru stopped and looked over the edge of the hill. The Hokage's monument was the key feature of the village and it was clearly visible from where he was now, as was the school. The sounds of children shouting and laughing carried on the wind. Looking at the village from a height gave Shikamaru a new sense of awe for the place. The way the early morning sun bounced off the rooftops made him almost wish he had grown up here instead of Amegakure.<p>

Slowly, Shikamaru made his way over to Neji and his teammates.

"What was it like?" he asked quietly. "Growing up here?"

"Others probably have a different opinion to me," Neji replied. "I didn't really begin to enjoy it until I was 14." He stopped suddenly, catching himself before he revealed more than he was willing. "These are my friends, Lee and Tenten," he said, the change of topic catching Shikamaru off guard. "This is Shikamaru Nara, Shikaku and Yoshino's son."

"Hey!" Tenten said offering her hand to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru took her hand and shook it. Her hair was wrapped in two buns on either side of her head and her bangs fell over her forehead protector. Her dark eyes were inspecting Shikamaru carefully.

"Nice to meet you," Shikamaru said before turning his attention to the other man stood before him.

"It is very nice to meet you," Lee said, bowing deeply and catching Shikamaru off guard. He wore a green jumpsuit and a set of orange leg warmers. As he rose from his bow, Shikamaru noticed his eyebrows were thick and framed his large eyes prominently.

"Uh… Hi," Shikamaru said.

"Will you be joining us in our spar today?" Lee asked.

"I think for now, Shikamaru should just watch," Neji replied. "He wasn't trained like we were, Lee."

"I think you'll be surprised at just how much I can actually do," Shikamaru replied with a smirk.

"Ok, Nara," Neji replied. "I'll bite. You can go against Tenten."

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><p><strong>AN **Stay tuned guys, the first fight scene I've written will be up soon.

Lessthanthree you all

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	12. Shikamaru Vs Tenten

**A/N **Here it is! A rather short fight scene followed by a lot of talk. I hope you all like it.

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><p>"I hope you know that I won't go easy on you just because you're not trained," Tenten said as she and Shikamaru walked towards an open space.<p>

"I would expect no less from a kunoichi from Konoha," Shikamaru replied. "Although I suggest you don't underestimate me."

Tenten smiled. "This should be fine. Are you ready, Shikamaru-_kun_?"

"I was born ready, Tenten," Shikamaru replied.

With a grin, Tenten pulled two scrolls from the pockets of her flak jacket. Shikamaru decided quickly that a direct attack would be the best way to deal with her. By the time Tenten had pulled the scrolls from her jacket, Shikamaru had closed the gap between them with surprising speed. In a quickly calculated movement, however, instead of attacking Tenten head on like he had originally planned, he looped around the back of her.

Tenten jumped into the air, unfurling her scrolls as she did so and let out a barrage of weapons, all aimed directly at Shikamaru. By the time the smoke from the summons had cleared, Tenten was sure she had beaten Shikamaru. To see the Nara stood in the middle of her scattered weapons absentmindedly scratching at the back of his head caught her completely off guard.

"Surely that's not all you've got," he said as he picked up a kunai from the floor before dashing over to Tenten.

As before, he ran behind her but this time he didn't give her a chance to jump. He crouched low and swiped Tenten's legs from beneath her. As Tenten fell hard onto her back, Shikamauru placed the tip of the kunai against her throat. "I think this is my win, Tenten," he said with a grin.

"You got lucky, Nara," Tenten replied, pushing his hand away.

"Sure I did," Shikamaru replied, his grin still firmly in place.

"I guess you may have made a pretty decent shinobi though if you had the right train…" Her eyes widened and before Shikamaru could figure out what she was thinking, she was heading in the direction of Neji and Lee. "Hey, Neji, stop spinning I need to talk to you," she called as she ran.

Shikamaru made no effort to keep up with her, instead he chose to walk back to the edge of the hill and take another look at the village.

As the sun rose over Konoha and cast it's rays through the red and brown autumn leaves of the trees, Shikamaru thought it truly was a fitting picture for the village hidden in the leaves. The golden hues that covered the village almost made it look like the village was on fire.

Letting out a sigh, Shikamaru turned and walked back towards the others.

"I suppose if Shikamaru doesn't object and the Hokage approves it then it shouldn't be a problem," Neji said to Tenten as Shikamaru was coming into earshot.

"If Shikamaru doesn't object to what?" Shikamaru asked.

"Tenten believes that you may have what it takes to become a Konoha ninja."

"I thought I just got lucky?" Shikamaru replied cocking an eyebrow at Tenten.

In way of a retort, Tenten stuck her tongue out at Shikamaru.

"We should probably get going. I expect you're hungry, Shikamaru," Neji said.

As if waiting for the mention of food, Shikamaru's stomach gave a loud growl and with that, Neji and Shikamaru bade the others goodbye and headed back towards the Hyūga complex

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><p>They walked back in almost complete silence, Shikamaru was thinking more about the potential for him to learn ninjutsu in Konoha and the possibility that he would be able to infiltrate Konoha more than anyone had expected. But another part of him wondered if he really wanted to continue with the mission. Konoha and the land of Fire was not what he had grown up thinking it would be. He had learned that the Leaf shinobi were violent and ruthless; people who would abandon their children to save themselves but what he had seen of the village so far could not have been more different. What he had seen so far was a peaceful village where mostly everyone knew each other. He couldn't help but wonder how different his life may have been had he grown up here instead of Amegakure.<p>

"Neji, don't you think asking the Hokage if a virtual outside can become a ninja for the village is slightly suspicious?"

Neji let out a small chuckle before composing himself. "If you asked yourself, then I think Tsunade would have you carted to the interrogation room and sat in front of Inoichi Yamanaka before you could say Tonton. However I assume you were thoroughly questioned by Ibiki on your first night here so having it suggested by a jounin shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Inoichi Yamanaka," Shikamaru said. "Any relation to Ino Yamanaka?"

Neji stopped suddenly. "I wasn't aware that you'd met Ino."

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied. "In the hospital on my first night here. Her and a pink haired medical ninja."

"Ah, Sakura. She's a fantastic kunoichi" He continued walking again. "To answer your previous question, yes, Ino is the daughter of Inoichi and the future head of the Yamanaka clan."

"Is there anyone in this village who doesn't belong to a clan?" Shikamaru asked, slightly bewildered.

"I'm afraid not even you have escaped that, Shikamaru." Once again Neji stopped but this time he pointed towards a forest on the outskirts of the village, possibly the same trees that Shikamaru had been admiring earlier. "You see that forest over there?" He asked.

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied. "What of it?"

"That forest is several hundred acres large and has another few acres of land surrounding it. That land, Shikamaru belongs to the Nara clan."

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><p><strong>AN **I hope you enjoyed the updates, everyone. I'll try to update a little more regularly now that life has quietened down a little

Lessthanthree you all

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	13. Home?

_A/N: I've said this chapter will be up for months now and finally "soon" is here. I'm so sorry for the delay between updates_, they should start coming in slightly more regularly from now on (Working from home is awesome). _  
><em>

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><p><em>He was running through trees that stretched endlessly before him. Running fast and as far as he could go. He'd been running for a long time. He didn't dare look back. His heart was racing at the thought of them chasing him. They were always chasing him. <em>

"_Shikamaru?"_

_His name echoed through the darkness that had enveloped him and still he ran. He just kept running. _

"_Shikamaru."_

_Again it called to him, but this time was so unlike the rest. It was soft and it grazed the edge of his consciousness. _

"Shikamaru."

Shikamaru jolted upright, his face covered with a light film of perspiration.

"Are you ok?" Neji asked.

_Am I ok? Where the hell… Oh, right._

They'd been in the Hyūga's large grounds. Neji had taken the liberty of showing Shikamaru around the grounds that surrounded the complex. They'd stopped in an enclosed garden, surrounded by cherry trees and high walls. Neji had told Shikamaru it was his favourite place to be alone. They'd sat down and Shikamaru had laid back to watch the clouds.

_I must have fallen asleep._

His gaze drifted across to Neji who was looking at him with concern.

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied finally.

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the Nara and going with his better judgement, he left the subject alone.

"I believe you told the Hokage that you would be having lunch with your parents today," Neji said. "You should get ready. While you're doing that I will visit Tsunade-sama and see about allowing you to train with my team."

"Right." Shikamaru replied as he wiped his face of the betraying sweat, the only sign, other that his increased heart rate, that told him he'd had a dream while he napped.

Lunch with the Naras was uneventful and Shikamaru made his way back to the Hyūga complex with nothing on his mind but his mission. He was being side swept and he knew it. He was too distracted with learning what had past rather than what was to be.

His parents had seemed nothing like the parents he had imagined growing up. They seemed like normal people who were excited to have their son back. Who was he to believe? His parents had said they never stopped looking and that seemed likely considering Neji had found him.

They had spoken of Shikamaru's plans. He had told them Neji was speaking to Tsunade about training as a ninja and his father seemed thrilled.

"I'll be able to teach you our clan's hidden jutsu then," he had said excitedly and inside, Shikamaru had relished the thought of finally belonging to a family.

Growing up in Amegakure had taught him how to survive in the world. It had taught him how to fight and when he should run. It had taught him everything he thought he needed to know about being a ninja, but it hadn't taught him about love and family. He hadn't belonged to a family in Ame, he was just one more student.

Something else Shikaku and Yoshino had said was playing on Shikamaru's mind too.

_Yoshino had her hands on the table in front of her, she stared at them as she played with a ring on her ring finger and thought about how she was going to phrase her request. _

"_Shikamaru," She started as she looked up. He was watching her intently. His eyes the mirror image of Shikaku's when he knew there was something on her mind. Was she really that obvious? "Your father and I have been thinking that maybe staying with the Hyūgas isn't a viable option for the long term. While we wouldn't expect you to agree to move into the family home, we would like you to consider moving onto the clan's land. There's a small house not that far from ours that we would like you to consider moving into."_

_Shikamaru had listened to her words without speaking. She had clearly been distracted by this for the duration of their meeting and he noticed her shoulders visibly relax when she finished speaking. He glanced across to Shikaku who had taken one of his wife's hands in his own and was looking at Shikamaru the same way he had been watching Yoshino. Both men's eye widened slightly before shuttering once again to a deceptive half mast._

"_I'll consider it," he replied, his gaze drifting back to his mother lazily._

As Shikamaru rounded a corner of the Hyūga complex near his room, he caught sight of Hinata. She must have been training but her eyes were closed and she seemed lost in her movement. Leaning against the wall, Shikamaru watched as she allowed Chakra to leak from her palms and forced them into a sharp point. She took a deep breath and began to move.

Her steps were light as she moved from one pose to another, each time cutting her hands through the air, slicing unseen enemies and protecting people who weren't there. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she focused herself and her lips moved quickly as she whispered words that only she could hear.

"She's brilliant, isn't she?"

Shikamaru jumped with a start and turned to see Neji stood behind him.

"What's she doing?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hinata had never quite managed to grasp the complexities of our families more difficult jutsu, in a bid to make up for this, she created her own version. The points of chakra can be used to force chakra into the enemy's tenketsu. She is constantly vibrating the chakra in her hand."

"It sounds difficult," Shikamaru murmured. "How did she think to create this type of jutsu?"

"I'm not sure," Neji replied, his eyes never leaving Hinata. "But this is her jutsu and she alone knows how to use it."

Shikamaru turned his gaze back to the Hyūga heiress. One hit with any jutsu of the Hyūga's and it would put any ninja out of commission. He already knew this. What he needed to know for his Ame mission was how to counter it.

"Is there no way to fight back against the mighty Hyūga clan?" Shikamaru asked, his tone dripping with humour and sarcasm.

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly. "Don't get hit," he replied simply.

_Easier said than done._

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><p><em>AN: And there you have it. Reviews are awesome, they let me know what you like and don't.  
><em>


	14. Rain

**[[A/N]] W00t new chapter. Apparently people are really enjoying this so far, I'm really glad about that. This isn't a really long one but I had a little more time than normal today so I thought I'd crack on writing it and get it up for all my wonderful reviewers. **

**This chapter is dedicated to NarutoRox who has done me the massive honour of reviewing every single chapter so far.**

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><p>The grounds of the Hyūga compound were lit by moonlight. On the veranda outside his room, Shikamaru sat writing a message to his mentor in Ame.<p>

_Successfully arrived in Konoha, few acquaintances have been made. Training as a shinobi of Konoha will begin soon. No further orders are required._

As he folded the note ready to be sent off at first light, Shikamaru sighed, then, laying back to watch the clouds drift across the deep indigo of the night sky, he began to think of the predicament he found himself in.

What had at first seemed to be a simple recon mission now threatened everything he knew to be true and what troubled him most was that in the few days he'd been in Konoha, he'd realised he knew nothing about himself. His past was a fabricated lie designed to make Ame seem like a haven while Konoha was the proverbial hell. The here and now that he was living told him that the person he trusted most in his life, the person he'd looked up to as almost a parental figure had lied to him for his whole life. The sceptical part of him felt as though it was waging war on the rest of his brain. What if his life in Ame was true and the people who called him their child were lying. It was an elaborate scheme if that were true, one that involved the entire village. But wouldn't the same be true of the opposite?

Shaking his head to free himself of the troublesome thoughts, Shikamaru sighed. He had no choice but to continue to play the double agent until he found out the truth.

* * *

><p>Neji sat on his futon with his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap. Instead of meditating, however, as he usually did when he couldn't sleep, he had his Byakugan activated and was watching Shikamaru.<p>

The younger man had seemed to be deep in thought while writing his message and as he'd lay back on the veranda, all movements had stilled. The calm, serene expression on his face gave no clue as to the thoughts that whirled around Shikamaru's mind and as such, Neji could be forgiven to thinking he had fallen asleep. Just as he was about to go and check on him, Shikamaru shook his head and stood up, making his way back to his designated bedroom. He picked up the letter and Neji watched as he crossed the room in a few long strides and held it to the flame of a candle burning in a brazier on the wall.

Neji's brow furrowed slightly in confusion as he watched Shikamaru pace in the small room before finally laying down on his futon and giving in to sleep.

As Neji deactivated his dōjutsu and lay back on his own futon, he felt his mind wander, and when he finally fell asleep, it was with thoughts of the younger man swimming through his mind.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru opened his eyes to see the sky was a pale, dusty purple. The sun was just rising and the clouds were contributing to the dusk like look the sky was portraying. Thick dark grey clouds swirled around, patches of pink sky just visible in the cracks.<p>

A storm was coming.

* * *

><p>"The hand seals are very simple, Shikamaru. Ram, snake then tiger."<p>

"Got it," Shikamaru said.

_Clones. I should have known they'd start simply. _

"When you're ready, I'd like you to produce two clones." Shizune was teaching Shikamaru to mould and control his chakra. Not that he needed to be taught, but he went along with the lesson and acted like a student, messing up now and again so he didn't seem exceptional.

"No, no, no," Shizune said as Shikamaru missed the snake seal. "Ram. Snake. Tiger."

"Urgh," Shikamaru groaned. "Sorry."

Performing the seals correctly this time, he produced the two clones Shizune had asked of him.

"Ok, that's better," Shizune said. "Next I want you to try the transformation jutsu. The seals are Dog, boar then ram."

Before Shikamaru could form the seals, Tsunade's voice echoed through the room and with a bang, the door opened.

"Shizune!"

"Yes Tsunade-sama," Shizune said. "Shikamaru, you're dismissed for now, practice what we've been working on and I'll see you in three days."

Relishing the interruption and the relief it brought him, Shikamaru left the room. As he rounded the door, he heard Tsunade briefing Shizune on what had occurred.

"One of the Jōnin we sent has returned, he says that Ame ninja are camped by the border."

"Why would they be there," Shizune asked. "You don't think they're planning to attack?"

"No," Tsunade replied. "I think they're waiting for something."

* * *

><p><em>They knew this would happen. <em>

Shikamaru paced restlessly in his room at the Hyūga compound.

_They knew I'd find out the truth and they have people waiting just in case I defect. _

Needing to clear his head to think, Shikamaru decided to go to one of the lesser used training grounds to practice his taijutsu.

* * *

><p>The grounds were empty as the storm clouds threatened to break above him. Approaching a training log, Shikamaru began his training. Each kick of his leg broke off a little more of the bark, each punch dented the wood a little more. Unknown to the young double agent, he was being watched.<p>

From the trees that bordered the training ground, a pair of dark eyes observed him. It was just luck that they both happened to be there at the same time but it gave Shikaku Nara the chance to observe his son uninterrupted. From the shadows of the trees, he watched as Shikamaru honed his taijutsu skills. It was impressive to say the least. Shikaku had never been too good with Taijutsu himself, he had preferred to use his clans hidden techniques and his mind to win the advantage in a fight.

As the light faded, the storm clouds began to grow thicker until after several minutes, rain began to pour. From the shadows of the trees, Shikaku stayed moderately dry, he had expected Shikamaru to leave when the rain started but if anything he trained harder. The cold rain that fell didn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

_He really will make an excellent ninja, _Shikaku thought as he turned his back to his son and made his way back through the forest and into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru laid his head against the rough bark of the log, the rain running in rivulets down the back of his neck, he was panting hard. Training in the rain had never bothered him. He had grown up with no other choice. Now, he had finally realised, most of the past he had lived and enjoyed was a lie. He was having a hard time deciding now where his loyalties lay, although if he had thought about it, it was almost clear that he wanted to stay in Konoha otherwise he would have left already.<p>

Wiping his eyes of the rain he made his way back towards the Hyūga grounds. Regardless of what he was thinking, he still planned to keep up the charade he was now living.

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] There you have it, regardless of what his superiours think, Shikamaru is going to continue his mission. Shock, horror. **

**As usual, let me know what you think. **

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall  
><strong>


	15. Friends

**[[A/N]] Hello again. I seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment, this chapter is up a lot earlier than I expected it to be and longer than I thought.**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Shikamaru arrived back at the Hyūga compound a few hours later and soaked to the skin.<p>

"I was thinking of sending out a search party," Neji joked as he handed Shikamaru a towel to dry off. "Where were you?"

"I was training," Shikamaru replied. "I lost track of time."

Neji eyed him sceptically but chose to remain silent, hoping that Shikamaru would elaborate without him needing to press the issue.

Shikamaru sighed. There were so many things floating around his head that he was having a hard time following any train of thought. The most pressing issues being his parents' proposal and the Amen ninjas stationed near the border. He had to send a message to Haishin, his mentor but how would he manage to explain what was happening without being caught as a traitor to Konoha.

Shikamaru glanced up at Neji as he pulled his hair free of its tie. The other ninja was looking at him questioningly; clearly he wanted a reason for why Shikamaru had been training so hard.

"I was thinking," Shikamaru said eventually. "My parents mentioned something and I was thinking about it."

Another glance at the Hyūga prompted Shikamaru to keep talking.

"They asked me to move into a house on their land, I'm not sure what I should do. I don't want to outstay my welcome here but you're the only person I really know in Konoha."

"If you did move on to your parents land, Shikamaru, it doesn't mean you'd never see me. We'd still train together and maybe eventually take part in missions together," Neji said as he watched the younger man pull off his shirt and begin to dry his body. "You'd always be welcome here too," he finished.

Shikamaru's sharp eyes snapped up. Deep brown met pale lilac.

"Do you want me to go?" Shikamaru asked.

"I want you to do what you feel comfortable with," Neji replied, carefully.

Shikamaru nodded and pulled on a dry shirt.

"What if what I feel comfortable with is wrong?" he asked, averting his gaze from Neji.

Neji looked questioningly at Shikamaru before replying. "I think you should use your own judgement if that were the case."

Without waiting for Shikamaru's reply, he turned and quietly left the room, leaving Shikamaru with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>He was stalling now and he knew it. Shikamaru had been stood under the warm spray of the shower for almost half hour. Frowning to himself, he began to soap his hair for the third time.<p>

_A shinobi must be beyond their emotions. _

He knew this. It had been drilled into him since he was a kid.

_So why can't I disconnect now?_

Anger and sadness were coursing through his veins in equal measure; anger that he wasn't trusted to carry out his mission and sadness that even if he wanted to defect he would have nowhere to go if Konoha learned the truth.

His fists rested against the cold tiles as he forced himself to calm down.

_Breathe._

He needed allies; people who wouldn't care what he'd done in the past. He needed…

_Friends._

The word came to him so quickly and easily that he stood in shock for a few seconds. He had never thought about people as being friends. They were just pieces that he could move around the board like a chess master.

That had all changed when he had come to Konoha. Nothing he had done since he'd gotten here was what he had planned. It was someone had taken the shogi table and flipped it, scattering the pieces until there was no sense to them anymore.

_You already have a friend._

The small voice in the back of his head told him what he couldn't tell himself. It was true that Neji was the closest thing to a friend he'd had in his life, but did that really make them friends?

Shikamaru turned off the water and dried himself quickly before pulling on a pair of pants. As he was towelling his hair he crossed the small hallway that separated his room from Neji's. With the damp towel still draped across his shoulders, he knocked the door.

* * *

><p>Neji was trying to calm his mind.<p>

_Meditating used to be so easy._

He couldn't seem to clear his mind of the sinking feeling he'd felt when Shikamaru had mentioned moving away. In the few days he'd been in Konoha, Neji had gotten so used to the Nara's presence in his life and in his home he hadn't considered that Shikamaru belonged somewhere else.

_With his family._

But Shikamaru seemed reluctant to leave the Hyūga compound.

_What I wouldn't give for that choice._

As much leeway as he had thanks to his uncle, he was still trapped in the Hyūga cage; a cage that Shikamaru had slipped into and was breaking free from. But Shikamaru wasn't a Hyūga and would never be trapped the way Neji was.

Neji's fingers traced the curse mark beneath his hitai-ate and he let out a deep breath. As his breathing steadied then deepened, he slipped into his calm, meditative state.

Maybe there was a way for him to leave the cage. It would require the Hokage's order but it would benefit him and if he had Shikamaru's measure, the Nara wouldn't mind it either. Rather than speak to Tsunade without Shikamaru's input on the idea, he decided to speak to the Nara.

As he came to his conclusion a knock from the other side of the door disturbed his serene calm.

* * *

><p>"Come in."<p>

Neji's voice came softly from the other side of the door. With a shaking hand, Shikamaru slid open the door and entered the room.

Neji's room was exactly as he had expected it to be. The walls were stark white and there were very few furnishings. A small futon lay in one corner with a small dark chest in another. There were no decorations or anything that suggested that Neji had tried to personalise the room beyond what was necessary.

"Shikamaru," Neji said as he stood up. "I was just about to come see you."

"You were?" Shikamaru couldn't hide the questioning tone in his voice.

Neji nodded. "I've been thinking about your predicament." He let the statement hang in the air for a few seconds before continuing. "If your parents approve, and it's ok with you, of course, if you decided to move on to your parents land, I could move with you." His voice dropped slightly as he ended his sentence.

Shikamaru's heartbeat quickened. "You wanna move in with me?" he said. "That would be great."

Neji looked at Shikamaru. "You think so?"

"I was just thinking I wanted to get to know you better, this would be perfect."

"And your parents?"

"They'll be happy that I'm living near them."

Neji nodded. "What was it that you wanted?" he asked.

Shikamaru looked to the ground. "I was just wondering," he started quietly. "Would you consider us… Friends?"

Neji studied Shikamaru carefully. "Yes," he replied.

He had never thought that such a simple word would inspire a smile that warmed his heart so much.

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] As always, thank you so much to my wonderful reviewers! Opinions are much appreciated!**

**Lessthanthree You all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	16. Fights and Dates

**[[A/n]] Short chapter is short. And I'm not too pleased with it either, regardless, here it is. **

* * *

><p>"This had better be good, Hyūga," Tsunade said as Neji strolled into her office at what she thought was a ridiculously early 8:30.<p>

"I assumed you would want an update on the Nara… situation," he said. "Shikamaru has decided, upon his parents' request, to move into a small house on their land."

"If that's all, Hyūga, you're going to need to be able to move very fast."

"He, however, has requested that I be able to move with him. As you know the Hyūga family are rather strict and Shikamaru thinks it would be too uncomfortable living somewhere without a friend close by."

"Neji Hyūga if you don't get to the point and fast, you're not going to have time to activate your Byakugan before I get to you."

"Apologies, Tsunade-sama," Neji said. "I would like for you to request that my family allow me to move out under the assumption that I will be keeping an eye on Shikamaru for you."

"I'll think about," Tsunade replied, waving her hand in dismissal. "Oh and Neji," she called as he got to the door.

Neji turned to look at Tsunade whose honey coloured eyes were bloodshot with tiredness and possibly a hangover, but narrowed dangerously all the same.

"Unless I summon you, do not request to see me before 10am. Ever."

Neji bowed once again before taking his leave.

* * *

><p>"Shikamaru!" a call from across the street drew Shikamaru's attention to a small teahouse. His father was sat outside with a small cup of black liquid.<p>

"Hey," Shikamaru said sitting down opposite Shikaku, mirroring his lazy posture effortlessly.

"Your mother asked me to find you," Shikaku continued as he took a sip of the dark, rich coffee. "You may not know this but your birthday's coming up soon."

"I've never really celebrated my birthday," Shikamaru said.

Shikaku let out a chuckle of amusement. "I've never been one for birthdays either, Kiddo, so I know what that's like. Your mom however is trying to plan 20 years worth of birthdays and make it all fit into one party."

Shikamaru stiffened slightly and his eyes widened for a second before he slipped back into his lazy façade.

"I told her you'd probably not want anything big but she told me to talk to you and convince you otherwise."

"So," Shikamaru said slowly. "If she asks you tried your hardest but you're giving me a heads up?"

"Atta boy, Shikamaru," Shikaku said as he drained what was left in his cup. "I gotta head back soon but there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about while your mom's not around. Her asking you to move into that house, we don't want an answer before you're ready to give one and we don't want you to say yes because you feel pressured-"

"About that," Shikamaru said. "Could I ask someone to live with me?"

"As long as it's not a certain Yamanaka who I hear is fawning after you then I can't see why not."

Shikamaru groaned while mumbling "Troublesome" and Shikaku chuckled again.

"Here's another heads up for you, Kid," He said before standing up and taking off. Before Shikamaru could look to see what his father had meant, Ino sat down in the seat opposite him.

"I know we didn't make solid plans, but you stood me up, Nara."

* * *

><p>"You're doing it again, Hinata-sama," Neji said as he easily dodged the chakra charged hit Hinata had thrown at him. "Come at me with the intent to harm me or you will never reach me."<p>

Hinata dropped her hands and sighed. "I don't want to hurt you, Neji-nii-san."

"Again," Neji said as he moved into position.

Hinata raised her palms and began to attack Neji. He knocked her hits away with the sides of his palms, he didn't even have his Byakugan activated. As Hinata began to get more frustrated, Neji began to grin.

"If you do not have the will to fight, you will never win," Neji told her.

"I don't have the will to hurt you," Hinata replied, her eyes sharp.

"Then have the will to protect those closest to you," Neji countered.

Hinata faltered for a second, that was all it took for Neji to point his fingers to her throat.

"Fighting isn't always about hurting others. You taught me that, Hinata-sama."

* * *

><p>"I get it, Shikamaru," Ino said with a small grin. "My dad said that your dad said that your mom hasn't stopped talking about you since you met. I figured it had slipped your mind."<p>

"Your dad knows my father?" Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah," Ino replied. "They were in the same ninja team and everything since they graduated from the academy. Chōji and I got stuck with a random cousin of yours instead of you, which sucks because you would probably have made a really good ninja."

"People keep telling me that," Shikamaru said.

"Although," Ino said with a smile. "Seems I may get on the same team as you after all. How's ninja training with Shizune going?"

"How did you know about that?" Shikamaru asked, trying very hard to hide how impressed he was. "That's meant to be top secret."

Ino let out a small giggle. "I'm a woman, Shikamaru. If it's meant to be a secret, I'm bound to know." She laughed again at the bemused expression on Shikamaru's face. "Anyway, that aside, to make up for ditching me earlier this week, you can be my date for my birthday party."

Fighting the urge to roll his eyes, Shikamaru asked, "When's your birthday party?"

"The day after yours," Ino replied "See you around Shika."

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] It actually hurts for me to call Shikamaru "Shika" in a fic. This week, reviews = cookies so if you want cookies, leave a review ^-^**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	17. First Birthday Party

**[[A/N]] New chapter yay! I hated writing this one but I hope it turned out ok! Let me know what you think!**

* * *

><p>"What did I do to deserve this?" Shikamaru asked rhetorically. "Stupid, troublesome woman."<p>

Neji was stood silently by Shikamaru's bedroom door watching as he threw objects into boxes while damning his luck with having been caught out by Ino.

"It could be fun," Neji suggested unhelpfully as he tried his hardest to keep a straight face.

"Gods, she's going to drive me insane and you, my only friend in this place, are just gonna be stood there laughing at me."

"That's not true," Neji said, amused. "I may be just as unhelpful and give a running commentary."

Shikamaru scowled as he flopped down on to his futon. "She called me Shika," He said with the air of a five year old who hadn't got his way.

"Yes," Neji replied as he sat down next to Shikamaru, leaning his head against the wall behind them. "And it amuses me as much now as it did when you first told me."

"How the hell am I going to get out of this?" Shikamaru said.

"Look on the bright side, Neji said. "It's Ino so the likelihood of there being alcohol at her party is extremely high."

Shikamaru scowled slightly at Neji before leaning back against the wall. "So your suggestion is inebriation?"

A knock on the door prevented Neji from answering.

"Neji-nii-san, Father wants…" Hanabi broke off her sentence at the sight of her cousin half resting his head on the Nara's shoulder. Neither seemed to be aware nor bothered. "You." She finished.

"Tell your father I'll be right there," Neji said as he swayed into a sitting position.

* * *

><p>"The Hokage requires your services, Neji," Hiashi said as he knelt on the dais at the head of the room.<p>

Neji blinked questioningly. How much Tsunade had told his uncle was still unclear.

"As you are no doubt aware, the Nara boy will be leaving our home shortly," Hiashi continued. "The Hokage realises that the two of you have become somewhat close and she would like you to continue your friendship."

"I don't understand why you called me here, Hiashi-sama," Neji said. "Surely it cannot be just to ask me to stay friends with a person from the village."

"You're right. I have no idea what Tsunade-sama is thinking but she has asked that we be especially lenient in the event that the Nara boy suggests that you accompany him."

Neji smiled slightly and bowed his head. "I understand. This is most unusual."

"Do not be surprised if Tsunade-sama calls upon you," Hiashi said. "And remember that your allegiance is first and foremost to the Hyūga Clan."

"My place has always been clear, Hiashi-sama," Neji replied dipping his head to touch the floor in a formal bow of servitude.

Hiashi studied his nephew closely before nodding to himself.

"You may leave Neji," He said in dismissal.

* * *

><p>Three days later Neji and Shikamaru were stood outside what was to be their new home with Shikaku, Yoshino and Hiashi.<p>

"You remember what we spoke of, Neji," Hiashi said as he eyed the house.

"Yes Uncle. I must thank you again."

"No need," Hiashi said. "Shikaku, Yoshino, I shall leave Neji in your care."

"Never thought I'd see the day when a Hyūga broke his own rules," Shikaku said with a grin.

"We appreciate it very much, Hiashi," Yoshino added while throwing a glare at her husband. "You're also welcome to attend the small party for Shikamaru's birthday tomorrow, if you wish."

"While I appreciate the offer I have things that require my attention," Hiashi said. "I shall now take my leave," he added with a short bow before walking away from the small house.

"Shall we go inside?" Shikamaru suggested.

"Of course," Yoshino said.

Inside the house was just as small as it had looked from the outside. The entrance led directly into the sitting room which in turn led to hallway with stairs and a door to a small kitchen.

"You'll have to share a bathroom," Yoshino said in an apologetic tone. "That and the bedrooms are upstairs."

Shikamaru took the lead up the stairs. Each bedroom was equipped with large beds and closets.

"It's not the Hyūga compound," Shikamaru said. "It's way better." He nudged Neji in the ribs.

"I think we'll be very comfortable here," Neji said as he turned to the Naras. "I must thank you again for allowing me to live here."

"It's the least we can do, Neji," Shikaku said before turning to Yoshino. "Let's leave the boys alone, Yoshino. Let them unpack and get settled in."

* * *

><p>The next day passed in a blur for Shikamaru. His father had invited a few friends and their children, Ino being one of them. She introduced him to Chōji. Apparently the three of them would have been teammates. Shikamaru couldn't help but be kind of glad that he had grown up away from Konoha. The glutton and the loudmouth were his idea of teammates from hell. All too often he found himself glancing over Ino's shoulder to the corner where Neji was stood, a self-satisfied smirk adorned his lips and whenever he caught Shikamaru's eye, he would raise his cup in mock salute.<p>

Shikaku, Inoichi and Choza stood apart from their children remarking once or twice on how much the group looked like they had at their age. As the sake flowed, they got louder and soon they were forced outside by Yoshino claiming she would not have the drunkards and Choza ruining her son's birthday.

"Did you know," Inoichi said as he swayed against a pillar. "That your son is my daughter's date tomorrow night, Shika."

"Stop calling me Shika, Inoichi or I'll shadow-possess your ass outta my house," Shikaku said before processing the rest of Inoichi's sentence. "My kid is dating your kid? That ain't right."

"I never thought I'd say this to you, but if he hurts her, I'll kill him."

"If he's anything like his old man he'd be nice just to get her off his back," Choza chuckled. "Glad it's not my kid."

"Y'know, when he asked me if someone could move in with him, I thought he'd fallen for one of Hiashi's girls," Shikaku said as he swallowed the last of his sake. "I never imagined he'd just want a friend. Yoshino expects him to fall into some sort of family routine with us but he seems exactly like I'd have thought he'd be. He doesn't have many friends but it seems he cares about the ones he has and I like that about him. I may not have raised him, but I'd like to meet the family that did. They did a good job with my kid."

"You're not worried?" Inoichi said as he raised the sake jug and refilled his and Shikaku's cups.

"Of course I'm worried," Shikaku replied. "But I'll bet he's been through hell already and survived, I'm just glad he's back."

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] Not much of a party for Shikamaru but Ino's is next up and the kids will (Probably) get their hands on some alcohol. **

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	18. A Night Of Firsts

**[[A/N]] Long-ish chapter this time, one of the longest I've posted in a while at least.**

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><p>The next morning, Neji woke early. By the time Shikamaru woke up Neji had been sat on the small veranda that encompassed the house for almost an hour.<p>

"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked as he sat down next to the Hyūga while cradling a cup of coffee.

"Admiring the view," Neji replied quietly. "It makes such a difference being able to not see walls."

Shikamaru looked out on to the grounds. Neji was right. Back in Ame everywhere the eye could see was tall buildings. Since coming to Konoha, he had begun to get used to the sight of trees and plants. He had begun to enjoy the feel of the sun on his skin, a rare occurrence when he was growing up.

"It must have been nice to grow up here," Shikamaru said. "Konoha seems like just the place where one could be free."

Neji let out a small, derisive snort. "Sometimes what looks free really isn't, Shikamaru." He sighed and took a sip of his rapidly cooling tea. "This is the first time I could have been considered free. I have you to thank for that."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked, putting down his cup.

"Surely you noticed it," Neji replied, avoiding Shikamaru's gaze. "At my home. The way people walked around with their heads bowed, avoiding eye contact with the elders and main family."

"Yeah, but I never saw you act like that."

"That's because I have far too much pride. I don't make sure I can see the line I am never allowed to cross, Shikamaru, I toe it with great accuracy, never stepping over it but pushing it as far as I can."

Shikamaru took a sip of his coffee. The warm liquid trickling down his throat slowly as he thought. Neji had never seemed the type, to him at least, to toe lines. He always seemed to be the one to draw the lines.

"Why didn't you leave before then?" Shikamaru asked.

"Opportunities to do so are few and far between in the Hyūga clan, Shikamaru," Neji said as he stood. "We are not all free of responsibilities like you."

The words hit Shikamaru hard. He had responsibilities. Ones that he had been denying while playing happy families.

_Gods, maybe they were right to put people on border control._

The idea that he wasn't trusted again loomed in his mind and once again he felt torn between which mission he should pursue; the one he had been given or the one he gave himself.

* * *

><p>She stood under the canopy of the doorway looking like a fallen goddess. Long blonde hair had been curled and fell in delicate ringlets around her face and shoulders. Her startling blue eyes had been ringed softly with kohl and her cheeks were either flushed from the cool evening air or made up with rouge so precisely that one couldn't tell without asking. Her painted lips were parted slightly with the light rose colour making her teeth look whiter than Shikamaru thought possible.<p>

His gaze drifted downwards. She was wearing a light purple dress that hung from one shoulder and pulled in at the middle, accentuating her amble chest and tight waist. The skirt portion flowed to just above her knees before giving way to long, pale legs that ended in heeled feet; the heels themselves adding at least 5 inches to Ino's height.

"Well?" she asked slightly nervously, holding her arms out in a way that only displayed her hourglass figure more prominently.

"I… You… Wow," Shikamaru managed to say. "Uh… Come in, I'm not quite ready yet."

Ino followed Shikamaru to the sitting area and took a seat, politely declining his offer of tea. As Shikamaru rushed up the stairs to finish getting ready, he passed Neji.

"Keep her busy for me, I may be a while," He muttered just loud enough for the Hyūga to hear.

Neji tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement and continued to the living room.

"Ino," he said by way of a greeting.

"Neji," she smiled. "Will you be honouring me with your presence this evening?" she asked in a pompous imitation of Neji's usual way of speaking.

"I'm afraid the honour shall be all mine," Neji replied in an equally haughty tone. "After all," he continued with a smile. "An Ino Yamanaka party never fails to entertain."

Ino's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're in a good mood," she said. "Finally happy to be free of all that Hyūga destiny crap?"

"One is never free, Ino, the chains of fate are simply loosened."

Ino grinned. "Does that mean you're gonna loosen up at the party. No offense but last year it was like you had a stick up your ass the entire time. You even had less to drink that Lee."

"And did we learn our lesson about why Lee shouldn't drink?" Neji asked, patronisingly, recalling Ino's previous party with a smile.

"If I didn't know any better, Hyūga, I swear you were making a joke."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Ino nodded before saying in a stage whisper, "a funny one, Neji."

"That tends to be the aim when one makes a joke, Ino," Neji said in equally conspiratorial voice.

"What are we whispering about?" came Shikamaru's voice from behind them, once again in a stage whisper.

"Neji made a joke," Ino said.

"I thought Neji was the joke," Shikamaru grinned.

"Wait till you see the punch line, Nara," Neji said with a playful glare.

"He did it again, I must be in another world or something."

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><p>After a quick visit to Ino's house so she could formally introduce her date to her parents, and so Shikamaru could understand the repercussions if he dared bring Ino back with a single hair out of place, the pair made their way to the restaurant Ino had booked for her party.<p>

"So you booked the entire restaurant out for your party?" Shikamaru asked as he held open the door for Ino to go through.

"That's right," Ino said. "There's an open bar as well."

"Sounds good, Shikamaru said.

The restaurant had put together three of its larger tables for the party. Apparently there was to be a sit down meal before the real party began.

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><p>Wine, champagne and sake flowed freely throughout the five course meal. Ino officially announced the bar open the minute the dessert plates had been whisked away and, gripping Shikamaru's hand tightly, she led the rest of the group (which consisted of Ino's graduating year, a boy named Sai and Neji's teammates) Into a large hall that had been decorated to resemble a club. A bar stretched the length of one of the walls with a few high tables around the edges of the room. A band was setting up instruments on the dais opposite the bar and the rest of the floor was open space for dancing in.<p>

A few dances with Ino later and Shikamaru was finally allowed to sit down. He chose the same table as Neji and his teammates, Lee and Tenten.

"Hey," he said as he took a seat on the outer edge of the table.

"Shikamaru-kun," Lee said. "How are you this pleasant evening?"

"I'm great, thanks Lee," Shikamaru replied before pouring a cup of sake for himself.

"I see she's finally let you go then," Neji said with a smirk as he raised his glass to his lips.

"Laugh it up Hyūga, if she makes me dance anymore I won't be able to walk and you'll be carrying me home."

"The way you're knocking back those cups of sake suggests that I may be doing that anyway," Neji retorted.

Shikamaru scoffed into his drink. "Wasn't inebriation your answer to all my problems?"

Neji arched an eyebrow. "Not if one of those problems is the inability to find your way home, Nara."

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><p>The mouth of the bottle hit his chapped lips. The sharp sting of the alcohol penetrated the dull haze of his mind. As he swallowed the first mouthful, he resisted the urge to spit out the burning liquid. The tang tantalised his taste buds, ripping life into his tongue and as the amber liquor flowed down his throat like liquid fire, he savoured the slow burn.<p>

A shudder ran through his body as he swallowed. The delicate line between pleasure and pain all but shattered under the whisky's influence. A broken groan escaped his parted lips and as the fire quelled, he took another hit.

Expecting the burn, this time, it didn't surprise his so much. His focus was this time drawn to the sting behind his eyes as tears began to well behind his eyes. He screwed his eyes shut and felt the shudder down his spine, like phantom fingers spreading down his back and across his shoulders.

He was pulled from the hypnotic reverie by an arm slung across his shoulder and hair that wasn't his tickling his cheek.

_Where am I?_

He briefly recalled walking home with his arm slung over Neji's shoulder, each of them helping the other to stand straight.

_Why am I still drinking?_

A gentle tug and the bottle was pulled out of his hand. He opened his eyes slightly and tried to focus his gaze.

_Neji?_

The Jōnin took a large gulp of the whisky before handing the bottle back to Shikamaru.

_Why do we have whisky?_

In answer to his thought, another memory flickered through his mind; Neji distracting the bar keeper as Shikamaru snuck a bottle of alcohol out of the restaurant.

_What were we thinking?_

"Shikamaru?"

His name slurred into the dim light shock him from his thoughts.

"Neji," was his reply.

"You are going to have such a headache in the morning," Neji said. Shikamaru had to contemplate for a second if the Hyūga was talking about himself as well.

"Maybe," Shikamaru mumbled. His gaze drifted over the Hyūga's profile. As if he could feel Shikamaru looking at him, Neji turned.

Their eyes met.

A fire sparked between them.

Neji leaned towards Shikamaru slightly.

Shikamaru closed the gap.

Noses bumped.

Lips connected.

Suddenly nothing else mattered to either of them.

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><p><strong>[[AN]] Boom! We have lift off! ( I told you guys it would be eventual) *hides from the hordes of fangirls yelling "FINALLY!"***

**Thoughts are most welcome in the form of reviews ^_^**


	19. The Morning After

**[[A/N]] The morning after! What's that? "No Robyn, you missed the best bit!" I know, I'm evil. **

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><p>Shikamaru woke the next morning spread out on the sofa. His mouth was dry and his head was pounding. He glanced at the small table in the middle of the room and spied the empty bottle of whisky.<p>

_That explains the headache._

As slowly as he could manage while still actually moving, he stood up and walked to the kitchen. He saw Neji stood by the cooker and memories came flooding back to him

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><p><em>Neji straddled Shikamaru and clamped his hand on Shikamaru's jaw. Forcefully he guided their mouths together. Shikamaru's hands wandered up Neji's back, across his shoulders, into his hair. With a gentle tug that elicited a small moan from the Hyūga, his lips moved across Neji's jaw and down his neck. Neji leant his head on Shikamaru's shoulder and let out a hiss of pleasure as Shikamaru's teeth scraped down the taut column of his throat.<em>

* * *

><p>A faint blush crept up Shikamaru's cheeks. "Morning," he mumbled to Neji.<p>

"Shikamaru," Neji said. "About last night."

"Forget about it," Shikamaru replied quickly. "I don't think either of us planned that on happening so forget about it."

_How can I forget about it?_

Neji wanted to scream at Shikamaru but he knew it would do no good. If Shikamaru hadn't meant it to happen then there was little more Neji could do about it.

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><p><em>"Close your eyes," Neji whispered into Shikamaru's ear. "Trust me."<em>

_Shikamaru did as he was bid and closed his eyes. He felt Neji's fingers wrap around his wrists, holding them against the sofa. Shikamaru teasingly tested him by trying to lift his hands again. With more force this time, Neji forced them back down, holding them down as much as he could. _

_He leant forward and kissed Shikamaru hard. He bit his lip and almost begged entry to his mouth. Shikamaru gasped at Neji's forcefulness. Neji took the opportunity and let his tongue roam into Shikamaru's mouth. The massaging of muscles roused Shikamaru and with more force than he thought possible he ripped his arms free. _

_Wrapping one around Neji's waist he flipped their positions. Neji was now lying on the sofa beneath Shikamaru._

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><p><em>There is no way he didn't want that.<em>

"Shikamaru, I didn't mean for it to happen but I think we should address this immediately," Neji said putting down his cup of tea.

Shikamaru followed suit by putting his coffee cup down on the counter nearest him. "What is there to address?" Shikamaru asked. "What do you expect me to say Neji."

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><p><em>"Gods, Neji," Shikamaru said quietly. "What have you done to me?"<em>

_"Stop talking, Shikamaru, it's distracting," Neji gasped as he dragged his hands through Shikamaru's hair and pulled the tie from it. Fisting his hands in Shikamaru's hair, Neji pulled him down towards him and their lips met in a forceful kiss. _

_Shikamaru met the challenge and wrestled control back from Neji, pushing them even further into the sofa. For a brief second, their erections met through the confines of their clothes. Any thoughts that weren't strictly carnal flew from both their minds._

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><p>"Tell me you didn't want it when it happened, Shikamaru," Neji said. "Tell me that it was a mistake."<p>

A lump formed in Shikamaru's throat. "It wasn't a mistake," he whispered, hoping Neji hadn't heard him.

"I thought not. Now can we please talk about this?"

Shikamaru raised his eyes to meet Neji's. A faint sense of relief was visible in his pale eyes.

"You wanted it too?" Shikamaru asked. The briefest nod of Neji's head was the only answer he needed before he crossed the small kitchen and kissed Neji softly.

"Even if that is the case," Neji said. "We can't do this."

"I know."

_I can't do this because I don't know which side I'm on anymore,_ Shikamaru thought. _I can't do this because either way I'll never be able to see you when this mission is over._

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><p>The rest of the day, Shikamaru and Neji both felt as though they were dancing around an elephant in the room. Subtle glances at each other told them what was on the forefront of the other's mind. On the rare occasion they met each other's eye, Shikamaru would blush furiously and look away while Neji looked on wistfully. By the time early afternoon came, both seemed more on edge than they had ever been before.<p>

_Was this a mistake? _Neji thought to himself. _Should I have acted as though nothing had happened?_

Similar thoughts seemed to be going around Shikamaru's head as he sat on the veranda outside gazing out at the forest.

Silently, Neji put his cup down on the small table and made his way onto the veranda and sat next to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru said nothing as Neji sat down. It didn't feel awkward yet, to his immense relief. In silence they watched a couple of does grazing on the edge of the Nara forest before a large buck herded them back in, casting a look at the two ninja sat watching them.

They sat in silence as the sun made its way across the sky, gently tinting the clouds a soft pink. As it dipped behind the trees of the forest and gave way to the early evening, Neji turned to look at Shikamaru.

"Y'know," Shikamaru said, acknowledging Neji's look. "It was hard to see the sky like this where I grew up. There were always too many clouds, too much rain. It's nice to finally see a sunset, to share it with someone."

Neji sighed. "When I was growing up watching a sunset or the clouds even was unthought-of. My childhood was dedicated to becoming the best ninja I could be in order to protect the main house. I would see Hinata-sama playing in the gardens where she now trains and she would look up, pointing at birds or shapes in the clouds and I would resent her for it, even though it wasn't her fault. I began to hate her for everything."

"And now?"

"Now? Now I understand my hatred. Now I have learned to let go of the things I cannot control." Neji stood up and moved so he was behind Shikamaru. He placed a gentle kiss on the Nara's exposed throat before saying "This, I cannot control. And this I do not want to let go."

"Neji," Shikamaru said as he turned his head to look at the Hyūga. "We can't keep doing this."

"I'm not asking for it to be a permanent arrangement, Shikamaru. I'm not asking for it to happen ever again. I don't want it tomorrow, just for tonight."

With a small sigh and another feeble protest, Shikamaru acquiesced. Their lips met as the sun burned for the last time that day behind them. With the new sun would come their new commitment, an agreement that was made and accepted in a clash of lips, teeth and tongues.

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><p><strong>[[AN]] Moar ShikaNeji on the way. I hope to make the next chapter a long one just for you guys ;-]**

**Reviews = love**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	20. Prelude

**[[A/N]] As of now this story is rated M. This is your final warning. **

**This is actually a really short chapter but it took a lot of work to write. **

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><p>The moved slowly. Each motion seeming to be part of a well choreographed dance. They circled each other and each gentle touch gave way to another round of the dance they had created.<p>

Without alcohol to give them the confidence neither thought they required, they danced around each other in a coquettish manner.

After they circled each other one final time, Shikamaru sat on the edge of the bed. Wordlessly he motioned for Neji to join him.

Stood between the Nara's legs, Neji dipped his head to met Shikamaru's lips. The soft melding of mouths was frustratingly tender when compared to the other kisses they had shared. Neji bit down gently on Shikamaru's lower lip, attempting to elicit a response, hoping to draw the battle back to one of dominance.

Shikamaru smirked slightly but kept his pace. He was intent on savouring every part of the night, every part of Neji would be his to explore and he wouldn't waste a minute of it.

Slowly he ran his tongue across Neji's lip, asking for admittance to his mouth and when Neji's lips and teeth parted, Shikamaru entered with a teasing slowness. Still moving at his own leisurely pace, Shikamaru traced the inside of Neji's mouth, willing the other's tongue to respond to his gentle caress.

Neji responded with fervour, his hands holding either side of Shikamaru's face as if to stop him pulling away. As long pale fingers dug into his jaw, Shikamaru let out a moan. If it was pleasure or pain, Neji didn't know nor did he care too much at that moment.

As Shikamaru continued with the teasing slowness of the kiss, his hands roamed gently across the plains of Neji's stomach and chest, fingers tracing each dip where the muscles underneath shaped the skin beneath his fingers.

"Gods," Neji said quietly. "You are infuriating, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru hummed softly as he traced the line of Neji's jaw with his lips. A gentle bite on Neji's earlobe and his breath hitched slightly.

"You like that?" Shikamaru whispered in his ear. A brief nod was his answer and Shikamaru smiled. Lips, tongue and teeth marked the way from Neji's ear to his pulse point where Shikamaru stopped to feel the pounding of Neji's heart beneath his lips. As he bit down gently on the tender spot, Neji let out a moan.

"Shh" Shikamaru said. "Relax."

"Easy for you to… Ngg." He was cut off once again by Shikamaru's ministrations.

"Get undressed," Shikamaru commanded in little more than a whisper.

As Neji followed Shikamaru's orders, the Nara circled him; his hands never leaving Neji's body. The moonlight on Neji's skin made him look ghostly pale. As Shikamaru traced each scar on Neji's body with his mouth, he could have been forgiven for almost thinking the Hyūga was simply an apparition created by his mind. If not for the slight shiver of anticipation of Neji's body beneath his fingertips, Shikamaru would have been scared it was all an erotic dream. But his dreams were never this detailed.

Neji quivered under Shikamaru's touch. He could feel his heart racing and his breath was coming in deep pants. How could one person work him into such a frenzy with his mouth alone. He wanted to touch him, to show him how he felt but his mind was numbed to the point that he couldn't move. He felt Shikamaru's long fingers on his hips, slowly, so tantalizingly slow, moving him onto the bed. He felt Shikamaru's lips tracing a path down his navel, just inches away from the core of his pleasure. He felt one hand move down his pelvis, to the base of his erection.

His anticipation was building.

Shikamaru's hand tightened around the column.

His thoughts were a mess.

How long would Shikamaru let him teeter on the edge of release before he gave in?

"Relax," he'd hummed, his lips resting on the head of his erection, the low timbre of his voice sending tremors through Neji.

With one word, Shikamaru pushed him over the edge into blissful oblivion.

Neji shuddered as the dry orgasm raged through his body.

Breathless and still riding the aftermath of his orgasm, his mind seemed to awaken again. He became aware of the light touch of Shikamaru's lips on his throat. He was humming softly, the vibrations resonating through Neji.

Suddenly, Shikamaru's lips were on his own, still soft, still gentle, helping him to focus on something other than the tsunami of pleasure still coursing through him.

It was though Shikamaru was guiding him back to earth. Slowly, Neji's surroundings became more clear to him; the gentle grip of Shikamaru's hand on his hip, the pillow beneath his head, the cool breeze that came through the open window.

With some effort, he opened his eyes. He could see Shikamaru looking up at him, the moonlight casting shadows that danced across his face.

"That's some show you put on, Nara," he said, his voice hoarse.

"That was just the prelude, Hyūga," Shikamaru retorted with a smirk. "The real show is only just beginning."

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><p><strong>[[AN]] Reviews are always welcome, my love goes out to all who read this**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	21. Konoha

**[[A/N]] Ok, this chapter took forever to write and I'm still not happy about it. My transition scenes suck =[**

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><p>The following days and weeks passed quickly for both Neji and Shikamaru. Each continued training, Neji was sent on various missions and Shikamaru was becoming more adept at using his clan's jutsu. That which had passed between them in the first few days in their new home remained unspoken; subtle glances that lingered longer than was necessary were the only indication that either wanted more from their relationship.<p>

Shikamaru had continued with his Ame mission, covertly gathering data on each ninja he encountered and mentally storing it away in his mind while seamlessly integrating himself in the Konoha community. He now regularly frequented Yakiniku Q with Chōji and Ino and Ichiraku Ramen with Naruto Uzumaki and on occasion, Sakura.

As autumn began to give way to winter, he decided he should probably start thinking about heading back to Ame. News that the guard at the border was still there meant that he still wasn't trusted but that there was probably someone else a little closer to the village watching his movements. There had been no signs of an attack about to be launched and so Konoha had relaxed their defences to a more normal guard.

With the last of the red and brown leaves, Shikamaru made his decision. He would return to Ame before the festive season. The infiltration had been successful. Konoha would fall in the New Year.

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><p>As he sat eating his weekly family dinner, Shikamaru decided to broach the subject with his parents. He was saved the trouble of finding an opening to announce it however, by his mother.<p>

"You know," she said. "I'm looking forward to Christmas and the New year this year. We'll finally be able to spend it with you, Shikamaru."

"It's hard to think you've only been here for about three months," Shikaku said. "You've grasped our family's hidden ninjutsu like you'd been moulding chakra for years, not months."

"Mom," Shikamaru said, interrupting his father's praise. "I don't think I'll be spending Christmas here."

"What are you talking about Shikamaru, of course you will. Where else would you spend it?"

"I still have my family in the Land of the Wind," Shikamaru explained. "They've raised me for too long for me to just forget about them. I was thinking I'd visit them and then come back next year."

Shikaku looked at Yoshino with a slight smirk. He had told her not to jump to conclusions. He had told her that Shikamaru may want to make other plans.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Shikaku, I know what you're thinking," Yoshino chided him with a grim smile. "Well, Shikamaru, if you've made your decision, there's nothing I can do or say to stop you."

"Thanks for understanding, Mom," Shikamaru said. "I knew you would."

The rest of the meal passed with a light heartedness that Shikamaru had come to expect from these evenings with his parents. As Yoshino began to clear the plates, Shikamaru and Shikaku moved to a room Shikaku had set aside for Shogi. After learning that Shikamaru was very good at it, it had become almost a ritual for them to share a game and talk about what Shikamaru had learned throughout the week.

"I spoke to Tsunade-sama earlier today," Shikaku said as he moved a piece. "She asked me about your training."

"What did you tell her?" Shikamaru asked as he scanned the board.

"That you're doing well, learning fast. She said that Guy and Shizune think the same. They both think you're at a level where the village would be able to acknowledge you as a ninja of their own."

Shikamaru looked up at his father. "And you?"

"I'm biased," Shikaku said with a shrug.

"If she believed that then I wanna know how she managed to become Hokage," Shikamaru said. "And if you think I'll believe that then you're insulting me."

There was a sharp crack as Shikamaru placed his piece, cutting off his father's attack.

"I told you'd be putting your skills to waste if she wouldn't let you at least try to be a shinobi of the Leaf," Shikaku replied. "Careful with this board it's older than you are, how many times do I have to tell you?"

"What did she say?" Shikamaru asked ignoring his father's reprimand.

"She asked me to give you this," Shikaku said reaching behind him and pulling a forehead protector out.

With shaking fingers, Shikamaru traced the Konoha symbol.

* * *

><p>Neji returned from his mission with nothing else on his mind than collapsing on his bed and sleeping until morning broke. Sakura however had ordered him to get himself checked out at the hospital first.<p>

"Chakra depletion is serious, Neji and I can't fix it in the field," she told him as they walked through the gates of Konoha with Tenten and Lee. "You need to go to the hospital so they can help."

"Sakura, I appreciate your concern but all they will tell me to do is rest, I am simply going saving them the trouble and myself the time."

Tenten looked at Neji with a small frown. "You can't seriously believe you know better than a medical ninja on this Neji."

"It may be true that they'll tell you to rest, Neji but they may need to keep you under observation. We're not sure how bad it is and if -" Her sentence was cut off by Neji scowling at her.

"I know my limits, Sakura. I am fine. Could you please inform Tsunade-sama that I will debrief her tomorrow morning." With that he walked off leaving Sakura stunned.

As he rounded the final corner and the small home he shared with Shikamaru came into view, Neji let out a sigh of relief. He had almost expected Sakura to follow him and ambush him on his way back, dragging him by his hair to the hospital if she needed to.

The house was in darkness and so Neji was surprised to find the door unlocked.

"Shikamaru?" He called into the darkness.

"In here," Came Shikamaru's voice from the sitting room.

Flicking a light switch, he looked at Shikamaru. "Why are you sat in the dark?" he asked.

"Thinking," Shikamaru replied in a lazy drawl.

"Are you going to give me an answer that's longer than two syllables?" Neji asked with a smirk.

"Maybe," Shikamaru replied with a small grin. "Mom sent dinner back for you, it's in the fridge."

Neji walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge before sighing.

"As usual, your mother has sent enough food to feed a small army," he said as he pulled out the large container.

"She thinks we'd try to survive on take out if she didn't," Shikamaru replied.

Neji returned to the sitting room and sat down in one of the chairs opposite Shikamaru. "So what is it that has you thinking so hard, Shikamaru?" he asked.

Shikamaru glanced up before deciding to come clean. "This," he said as he tossed his shiny new forehead protector to Neji.

Neji caught it deftly and looked at it carefully before looking back to Shikamaru.

"This is yours?" he said. "Well then I believe congratulations are in order."

"Yeah, thanks."

"That isn't all is it?"

Shikamaru glanced up at the Hyūga who was watching him carefully.

"I've been thinking about heading home,"

"Permanently?"

"No."

As Neji looked on, Shikamaru gave nothing away. His face had become a mask, unreadable.

"When are you leaving?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I'll have to speak to Tsunade-sama about it tomorrow," he said.

"Good luck."

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><p><strong>[[AN]] So Shikamaru's planning on heading back to Ame *insert dramatic music here*What is he planning? How will he manage it and is he really going to come back to Konoha? Find out in the next chapter of "Home"!**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	22. Missions

**[[A/N]]Update time W00t! You can all thank NarutoRox for pulling me out of a slump and getting this chapter written even if it is mostly filler. **

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><p>Tsunade's golden eyes narrowed as she studied the ninja in front of her. He was calm and collected, not showing even the slightest sign of being uncomfortable under her searching gaze.<p>

"I'll think about it," she said after what seemed to be an endless silence. "You'll have to realise though that now you are a shinobi of Konoha, sentimentality has no place. If you wish to excel, you must be beyond your emotions."

"I understand, Tsunade-sama," Shikamaru replied with a bow. "You have my thanks."

"Shikamaru," Tsunade said as she dropped her hands to the desk in front of her. "There is no precedent for what we are doing with you. It has never been done before and I hope it will never be done again. We're taking a risk with you. When you leave for the country of the Wind, I would like to send an escort with you to the border. When you return, I expect it to be under the assumption that you are fully a citizen of Konoha. You will not be allowed to visit your family back in the Wind country. You will be a Shinobi of the Leaf."

Shikamaru nodded. "I understand and I must thank you for your leniency in the matter, Tsunade-sama. I will not betray your trust in this, I promise."

Tsunade nodded, apparently satisfied with Shikamaru's response. "You're dismissed; I suggest you hurry along to the assignment area where you'll be given your first mission."

Shikamaru turned to leave the room. The relief he felt at being allowed to leave Konoha was overwhelming. He hadn't thought about what he would have done if his request had been denied. He assumed that sneaking out of Konoha would be just as difficult as sneaking in.

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><p>His first assignment was a simple escort, He and Neji had to take a daimyo's wife to a nearby village. As expected it passed without incident and on the walk back to Konoha the two shared idle banter to break the silence.<p>

"I heard you spoke to Tsunade-sama this morning," Neji said.

"News travels fast in Konoha, huh," Shikamaru replied with a smirk.

"When you've been talk of the village for the last three months even a sneeze will not go unnoticed," Neji replied.

"Sometimes I have to wonder if you shinobi of the leaf do anything other than gossip," Shikamaru said.

"I can assure you we do our fair share."

"So I see," Shikamaru said. "And how many wives have you escorted this week, Neji?" he asked suggestively.

"You forget I'm your superior, Nara," Neji said as he grinned at Shikamaru.

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru replied, waving him off with his hand.

"So about Tsunade-sama and your conversation…?" Neji trailed off.

"'I'll think about it.'" Shikamaru said.

"I'm sorry?"

"That's what she said. 'I'll think about it.' Apparently we're setting new precedents."

"It makes sense," Neji replied as he slowed slightly. They were getting closer to the village now and he was sure Shikamaru would want this conversation over before they returned. "I've never even heard of someone who was raised outside the village becoming a ninja before."

"Do you think she's worried I have another agenda or something?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't think so, if that were the case you'd still be under surveillance and you certainly wouldn't be wearing one of our village's forehead protectors."

Shikamaru nodded but didn't say anything further. Neji was right in saying that he wouldn't be a Shinobi of Konoha if he were still under suspicion but he had been away from Ame for far too long now. He had to get back somehow or risk being uncovered by Konoha.

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><p><em>It was impossible, he couldn't run anymore. His lungs were burning and his legs were aching. He could feel them closing in on him but he couldn't make himself move any faster. <em>

"_Shikamaru?"_

_His name resonated through the darkness. He couldn't put a name to the voice but the soft tones seemed to guide him away from them._

"_Nara."_

_It was sharper this time, a slight edge to the dream-dulled tone. Then he saw a figure in front of him. His brow furrowed; he'd never actually seen a person in his dreams, he just felt them and their intent. _

_The person before him was basked in a deep golden light. In a world where darkness prevailed and everything was dulled it seemed hypnotic. _

"_Shikamaru."_

_That voice again. _

_Suddenly the figure was reaching out a hand to him. As he stretched his own hand out, he felt himself moving further away. The light began to dim. _

He fell with a thud onto the floor of the sitting room, his breath coming in deep, ragged pants. A knock at the front door roused him completely. The details of the dream were fading fast and almost instantly he found it hard to remember why his heart was racing a mile a minute.

"Nara, if you don't open the damn door in five seconds…"

The person on the other side didn't get a chance to finish the threat before Shikamaru opened the door and glared at the offender.

"What the hell do you want, Hagane?"

"Message from the Hokage, she wants to see you, like, five minutes ago," Kotetsu replied. "What the hell were you doing anyway? Have some special time with you and your-"

The door slamming cut him off, Shikamaru briefly heard Izumo fail to stifle a laugh before he headed to the bathroom to tidy himself up a little before going to see Tsunade.

* * *

><p>"All right." Tsunade said as Shikamaru stood in front of her her.<p>

"Alright?" Shikamaru parroted back. "Y'know without context that means nothing."

"You wanted leave," Tsunade replied with the air of explaining two plus two to a child. "I am granting it."

"But?"

"But, Neji goes with you. You'll be assigned a mission while you're away. Neji has the details. You leave in three days and I want you back by the month's end."

"Tsunade-sama there's really no need for an escort, I-"

"You will do as you're told. As far as you're concerned this is a mission and it will be treated as one."

The words resonated in Shikamaru's head. Of course it was a mission, it had never stopped being a mission. His friends, his family, Konoha, it was all just a mission.

Suddenly it was like he was back in Ame. A mission was never questioned, the conditions never negotiated.

"Understood," Shikamaru said with a deep bow. "I apologise for my outburst."

"No need to apologise Shikamaru, just remember that I am doing all in my power to be lenient to you and I do not wish to be taken advantage of."

"I understand, Hokage-sama."

"You're dismissed."

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] So Shikamaru has permission to leave and go "home" but Neji has to go to DX What's going to happen? How will Shikamaru get out of this bind? Find out soon!**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	23. Betrayal

**[[A/N]]This chapter wrote itself, I swear it. And because it did, you all get a nice quick update. **

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><p>"So what's your mission?" Yoshino asked as she set out plates and cutlery on the table in front of Shikamaru and Neji.<p>

"It's hardly a mission, mom," Shikamaru said. "It's more like a cover up for allowing me to go."

Neji smiled slightly. "We are to ensure that, on behalf of both Konoha and Sunagakure, the borders are secure. Ame ninja have been sighted on both borders and it's our job to make sure we are not under threat."

"Well it certainly sounds like a mission," Yoshino replied.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as his mother turned to finish preparing their evening meal. "Traitor," he mouthed to Neji. Neji's response was to just smirk at Shikamaru with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you all set to go?" Yoshino asked as she turned again to place plates of food on the table.

Shikamaru nodded as he adjusted the plates on the table to make way for the mountains of food his mother had prepared. "We leave first thing tomorrow."

* * *

><p>'First thing tomorrow' came all too soon for Shikamaru. He hadn't slept much that night; anxiety wracked his body as he tried to think of a way to shake Neji off before he ran for the proverbial hills and headed back to Ame. When he climbed out of bed the next morning just before dawn he still had no idea what he was going to do.<p>

Half hour after Shikamaru had clambered out of bed, sleep deprived and filled with trepidation, he and Neji made their way through the gates of Konoha that only three months earlier he had walked through as a stranger.

As the day drew on and the sun climbed higher, Shikamaru still had not thought of a plan, each possibility he came up with ended badly, in ways he would not allow to happen. By the time the sun was directly over head he was beginning to think he would never come up with a plan.

They stopped for lunch in a small post town before heading in a more westerly direction. It was Neji's plan to ensure the north-western border was secure before crossing into the country of the Wind.

"Is it really necessary to go so far north?" Shikamaru asked as they made their way at a steady pace.

"I wouldn't say it's necessary however I would like to ensure that the smaller countries around us haven't been compromised."

"Right," Shikamaru said as he dipped his head and focused on the road ahead of him.

* * *

><p>After walking for the day, Neji decided as the sun began to set that they should find somewhere to set up camp.<p>

"I want somewhere away from the road to be safe," Neji said. "But not too far in that we can't see people approaching."

He trod a path through the trees with a practised ease and almost immediately they came upon a clearing.

After they'd set up the campsite, Shikamaru sat down next to a fire that Neji had built.

"I never thought you'd be quite this handy," Shikamaru said as he warmed his hands in front of the flames. "I've never really seen the serious mission side of you. It's kinda cool."

"Well, you have to learn how to survive and how to pull your weight. One part of the Chuunin exam was to survive in a forest filled with dangerous creatures for five days."

"That sounds…" Shikamaru thought for a second. "Interesting," he said finally.

Neji stifled a chuckle and as the night wore on, he regaled Shikamaru with stories of his various exams that lead him to where he was.

* * *

><p>They had stopped for what looked to be the final time that day. Watching the targets from the shadows, they had surrounded them. Now all was left was to watch and to wait. They needed them separated before they continued with the plan.<p>

* * *

><p>Hours later and barely managing to stay awake, Neji retreated to the tent to sleep, Shikamaru sat gazing at the embers in the fire, willing the night to last longer so he could put off what he would eventually have to do.<p>

_Walk away._

Why was it so hard for him to do something so simple? Konoha had been a mission. He had followed out that mission. If he hadn't, he wouldn't be sat here. He would be in his house, he would be happy, he would be…

_Free._

* * *

><p>They crept as silently as shadows through the trees until eventually they had them surrounded.<p>

One crept forward, moving with the swish of the trees branches in the light wind. The sounds of his footsteps were masked. With a steady hand he covered the mouth of the one outside.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru felt the hand on his face and began to struggle against the hold.<p>

"Shikamaru," a low voice growled into his ear.

The sound of his name drained the fight out of him, the voice itself drained the colour from his face. He went limp in his captors arms.

"That's better. I am removing my hand, stay quiet."

Shikamaru did as he was bid. As soon as the hand was removed he turned and kneeled before the man, his head bowed.

"Nyūsen-sama," he said quietly.

"Haishin is waiting. He was expecting word from you. We thought you had turned."

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Yet you are still with one. Why?"

"I was not trusted to leave the village alone, they demanded an escort."

Nyūsen held out a small, folded piece of paper. "Give him this, we'll take care of the rest."

Shikamaru nodded as he took the paper. .

"And Shikamaru," Nyūsen said as turned away. "Do not betray us."

* * *

><p>The next morning after another sleepless night, Shikamaru knew he had to do as he had been commanded by Nyūsen. Anything less would be seen as a betrayal, this way he would still be able to get Neji out to warn Konoha.<p>

A small sprinkle of the powder in Neji's breakfast bowl and there was no going back.

They set off not long later. Shikamaru estimated they had a few minutes before the drug kicked in.

They walked slowly. Soon Neji was panting for breath.

"Are you ok?" Shikamaru asked.

"I… I'm not sure," Neji gasped.

He didn't register falling to his knees.

He didn't realise they were suddenly surrounded by men wearing black.

What he did realise was that someone was talking.

"Well done, Shikamaru." Haishin said as he looked down on Neji. "I see you've brought us a prize."

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] Awgawd! I can hear the fangirl screams now XD That's right guys, we're getting to the good part. The ending is near although not yet in sight, the drama however is practically dancing in front of me. As always, reviews = love.**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	24. Chained

**[[A/N]] This chapter practically wrote itself which is why you all have an update so quickly after the last chapter was posted. **

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><p>"Well done, Shikamaru. I see you've brought us a prize."<p>

Shikamaru inclined his head. "Old man," He said. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." He didn't spare Neji a second glance as he stepped forward and paid Haishin the due respect with a bow.

"I see Konoha sent you with an escort."

"Clearly. A prisoner of the war to come," Shikamaru said. "I expect Konoha will regret sending him with me though."

Haishin smirked. "And, pray tell, Shikamaru, why is that?"

"He's a Hyūga." Shikamaru's statement did as he intended; Haishin raised an eyebrow and looked down at Neji.

"A Hyūga. Well, that changes everything." Haishin turned and began to walk away from Shikamaru. "Bring him with us, he will be useful. You've done well Shikamaru."

* * *

><p>The first thing Neji was aware of was the incredible headache he was sporting. The next thing was that his arms had been supporting his unconscious form for a while at an awkward angle; a sharp pain shot down both arms as he straightened himself to stand. After a few moments the rest of his situation and the events that had led him there surfaced into the forefront of his mind. Anger rose like bile in his throat as he remembered how they had been captured.<p>

_No, how I have been captured. Shikamaru was a part of the plan. _

Glancing around he saw he was in what could only be described as a dungeon. The dark, dank stone walls that surrounded him were covered in moss and on the opposite wall a few bricks that had been removed substituted as a window.

In what he knew would be a futile attempt, Neji tugged on the chains that bound him. They held securely to the wall.

A loud creak and a sliver of light signalled the door on the other side of the room opening. Neji's eyes narrowed as he watched three people walk towards him.

"I've always wanted Hyūga eyes," said the one in the middle. "Such a shame I'll have to keep you alive until they've been transplanted. It would be so much easier if I could kill you first."

Neji stayed silent.

"It seems almost barbaric to brand your children like the Hyūga do, wouldn't you agree? To be bound to protect and born to serve, such a waste of immense talent." He paused for a moment, as though thinking of how to phrase his next words. "My name is Haishin, I don't expect he told you that. If I know Shikamaru, he'd have lied from the very beginning. He always was a good liar, do you agree?"

Again, silence was Neji's answer.

"The quiet type, are you?" Haishin said. "Well, I suppose you would try to understand the situation. I don't think it could hurt to let you know where you are, at the least. Please, Hyūga, accept my most humble welcome into Ame."

Neji's nostrils flared as he held back a snarl. So the Ame ninja that had been on the borders had been a threat after all, he thought. And to make things worse, Shikamaru had been one of them.

Haishin smiled slightly at Neji's show of expression. "You will be held here until we decide to transfer your eyes," Haishin said. "I expect if we let you go you'd just run back to Konoha so we'll probably kill you after that."

"When I get out of these chains you won't have a chance to kill me," Neji growled. "With or without my eyes, you are no match for me."

* * *

><p>Shikamaru made his decision quickly. From the shadows he had been taught to command he watched as Haishin entered Neji's cell. After what seemed like hours, he exited with his escort. After a few quick words with the guards he took his leave.<p>

Waiting a few more minutes to be sure his superior was gone felt like an eternity to Shikamaru, but being caught at this stage would be useless to his endeavour. When he was finally sure nobody was going to come to Neji's room, he left his shadows and walked towards the guards.

"I'm here to see the prisoner," Shikamaru said in a voice that commanded authority. He was well known to almost everyone in Amegakure, even the prison guards.

"Haishin said no visitors," one of the guards replied.

"I see," Shikamaru sighed as he quickly formed the seals his father had taught him. Within a few seconds his shadow had elongated and five fingerlike spindles were worming their way around each of the guards' necks. He gently exerted enough pressure to cut off their oxygen long enough to make them fall unconscious.

Quickly and quietly, he entered the cell that held Neji.

"Neji, it's me, you have to listen to me, I can get you out of here but you have to trust me." He stepped out of the shadows and into the small frame of light allowed by the window.

"You lied to us all," Neji growled through bared teeth. "You led me into a trap."

"No," Shikamaru groaned. "No, Neji, please you have to believe that I didn't want this."

Neji's eyes narrowed. He could sense no lie in Shikamaru's words but his current situation flooded him with hatred he hadn't known for a long time.

"'Well done, Shikamaru, I see you've brought us a prize,' wasn't that what he said," Neji spat. "Is that all I ever was, a prized pet to bring home to your masters?"

Damn Haishin and his words, Shikamaru thought. "Neji I swear I never meant for you to be involved in this at all."

Shikamaru's words fell on deaf ears as Neji struggled against the chains that bound him to the wall.

"You'd better hope I never get free of these chains Nara or the last thing you'll feel will be my hands around your throat."

"Gods," Shikamaru said. "Just listen to me please. All I need you to do is make sure you don't die while you're here. I promise I'll get you out but when the time comes I'll need your help to get us both out of here."

"You were a member of our village. You were a shinobi of the Leaf. You were my friend."

"I know and you have to believe that I never meant for this to happen. I never meant for you to be involved in this."

"If one word that passed between us in the three months that you were in Konoha was the truth then maybe I would believe you but everything out of your mouth is a lie and you are well aware of it."

"Fine," Shikamaru said. "Don't believe me yet. But when I come to get you out of here you'll have to trust that I'm leading you to your freedom."

"I don't have to trust you, Nara and I never will. Get out before I find a way out of these chains."

* * *

><p>Shikamaru paced his small bedroom in the house he shared with Haishin restlessly. He needed a reason to get out of the village, if only for a little while. His brain was racing with the details of his plan but if he couldn't get the essential ingredients it would all be for nothing.<p>

He looked out of the window. After getting used to the sun and leaves that surrounded him in Konoha, the dark grey buildings and relentlessly pouring rain dampened his spirits to no end.

A knock on the door roused him from his thoughts.

"Yes?" he said as the door opened.

"Haishin-sama wishes that you join him and the council in the meeting room immediately," Nyūsen said. "There are some questions concerning the prisoner that they would like answered.

"I understand," Shikamaru replied. "Please inform Haishin that I'll be with him shortly."

"I will deliver messages for Haishin-sama but you are nothing but a brat to me. I was hoping you had betrayed us simply so I would have the honour or removing your insolent head."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the other ninja. "Upset that we didn't get chosen for the mission that will bring us more power? Get real, Nyūsen, I've always been a better shinobi than you and you will never be recognised as a superior to me. Get out before I throw you out."

Nyūsen glared at Shikamaru before leaving. Shikamaru's heart was beating quickly. How close would Nyūsen get to having his wish become a reality, Shikamaru wondered. It would simply be a case of who could move faster.

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] So, Nyūsen hates Shikamaru, Neji hates Shikamaru, Shikamaru hates everyone ****_except_**** Neji and no one but me knows what Shikamaru's planning. Don't you just love the drama. **

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	25. Discussions

**[[A/N]] One or two questions answered in this chapter and a few more thrown out there. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"You're late, Shikamaru."<p>

"My most sincere apologies," Shikamaru said, bowing his head. "I was told you wished to discuss the prisoner."

"That's right," Haishin said as Shikamaru sat down at the circular table in the centre of the room. "What are his abilities like? Is he a good fighter?"

"Not in the least," Shikamaru said. "Other than bearing Byakugan eyes, he is a rather inferior shinobi. His taijustsu skills leave more than a little to be desired and not once have I seen him using the famed Hyūga style of fighting."

"Could you not have brought a more reliable ninja?" One of the elders said.

"I had no choice in the matter unfortunately. I told the Hokage when I first arrived in Konoha that I was brought up in a border town of the land of Wind. Since the lands of Fire and Wind are allies, she saw no need to send anyone more skilled."

"Is there any chance he was acting more inferior than he is?" another elder asked.

"I can't see why someone would pretend to be so inept for three months around someone they supposedly trusted enough to allow to live in their village."

Haishin studied Shikamaru closely over tented fingers. "Then the transplant will go ahead as planned. It seems the Konoha brat was all talk."

Shikamaru looked over at Haishin. "Hyūga pride can often make them seem more superior. You have nothing to worry about, I assure you."

Haishin nodded. "Very well, you're dismissed while we discuss other matters. I'll expect to be debriefed later tonight."

Shikamaru stood and bowed to the elders before inclining his head to Haishin.

* * *

><p>A formal debriefing was something Shikamaru had never experienced. When he had been sent on missions for Ame, his usual way of debriefing Haishin was to discuss the mission over a meal. Although Haishin had raised Shikamaru, he had never been a true father figure, not to Shikamaru and not to his own child.<p>

Haishin had raised Shikamaru to take over his role as one of the elders of the council when he died, a duty that was usually passed to the eldest child. Haishin's son had been overlooked in favour of Shikamaru and Shikamaru had never been allowed to forget it.

_If you are chased, you must run. You must live. You are the one to inherit the village. You must survive._

Just as he had never forgotten that he must be better than anyone else, Shikamaru had never forgotten the taunts that had followed him as he had grown up.

_An orphan dog will never command our village. You are simply the replacement for me._

He had been a replacement for a defective shinobi. He had been raised knowing he was better than him. His own words echoed in his mind.

_I've always been a better shinobi than you and you will never be recognised as a superior to me._

Did he really think that? Was that the truth in his mind?

Shikamaru sighed. Before his mission to Konoha he had known his place and his standing point in Ame. While he was in Konoha he had learned there was more to life than missions and being what was expected of him. Now he was back in Ame, his life had been thrown into chaos and he had no idea what was expected of him.

For hours, Shikamaru thought about all that had passed between him and Neji, him and Haishin and him and Nyūsen. He mentally followed the threads of different thoughts to their conclusions and worst case scenarios. The one that stood out most to him was the possibility that he was uncovered as a traitor before he got Neji out. If the plan he had for Haishin backfired on him that would be an inevitable outcome. If Nyūsen discovered him after that then there would be blood on his hands more literally than he would like. He had no choice; he would have to trust he could pull everything off.

* * *

><p>As the grey skies of Ame darkened, Shikamaru made his way to the dining area of the house. Haishin was already sat at the table, conversing with Nyūsen.<p>

"I will deal with it now leave," Haishin snapped to Nyūsen as he noticed Shikamaru entering the room. "Shikamaru, come, sit. Dinner will be here soon."

"Remember what I said," Nyūsen said as he stood up and left the table.

Shikamaru took Nyūsen's emptied seat. "I see he still doesn't take telling," Shikamaru said. "Let me guess, I'm a vicious betrayer, just waiting to topple you from your seat of power?"

"Sometimes I think you hear more than you let on, Shikamaru," Haishin said. "Yes, Nyūsen is worried you are on the side of Konoha."

"Well," Shikamaru said. "It may be easier if I just admit it now then, save Nyūsen the trouble of digging up all that evidence."

Haishin smiled. "I never tire of your wit, boy, but others may see that as a sign of guilt."

As the dinner progressed they spoke of Shikamaru's mission to Konoha. Shikamaru told Haishin how he had gained entry to Konoha, pulling the wool over the Hokage's eyes to make her believe he was just a young man looking for his family, his infiltration into the regular society of the village and the friendships he had made with various ninja. He left out the part where he had trained with his father and Neji's group and becoming a shinobi of the leaf.

"And they still suspected nothing?" Haishin asked.

"I can't say that much since they still sent an escort," Shikamaru replied.

"About him, what exactly was your relationship with him in Konoha?"

"He was simply a ninja I spoke to on occasion. I lived in his family's house for a while before being given a place of my own. He would often talk about escaping the Hyūga household."

"Come with me, Shikamaru. I wish for him to see you before I break his will and take his eyes."

Shikamaru stood and his heart sank as he followed Haishin from the small room.

* * *

><p>Minutes later they were stood at the door that separated Neji's cell from the rest of the prison.<p>

"Do not say anything to him, Shikamaru. I want to see how he reacts to you. I will find out if you have betrayed us in my own way and if you have you will pay."

"Do you doubt me, Old Man?" Shikamaru asked.

"No," Haishin replied. "But others do."

Shikamaru nodded and together they entered the room.

Neji stood fully as he heard the door open. When he saw Shikamaru enter behind Haishin he bit back a snarl.

"It seems there's no love lost for you, Shikamaru. This is the most responsive I've seen him since we brought him in here."

Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow at Haishin's statement. "He once claimed we were friends," Shikamaru said.

"Friends! Hah! Don't you just love the irony, Shikamaru?" Haishin asked as he whirled around to focus his gaze on Shikamaru.

"Irony is never funny in my eyes, Old Man, you should know that much at least."

With a smile he turned back to Neji who stood regally at odds with the chains that bound him like a dog.

"And what about you, Hyūga," Haishin said as he leaned in to Neji's personal space. "Does the irony of your situation amuse you," he whispered seductively into Neji's ear. "Or does it make your blood boil with fury? Does the fact that you chose Shikamaru to break your chains only to have him place you in a literal prison, chained and unable to escape make you realise that as a Hyūga pet you really wanted for nothing."

"The only thing I feel is the overwhelming desire to kill you both," Neji growled. "You seem to know a lot about my family, I wonder if you realise how good Hyūga pets really are at breaking their chains."

"Such big words from a little boy," Haishin said. "I wonder if you'll be as vocal when Ame men are through with you." He turned to walk back to the door. "Come, Shikamaru."

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] We're almost to the point where Shikamaru's plan comes into action now but Neji still wants to murder him (wouldn't you?) but unfortunately Haishin also seems to have something up his sleeve. **

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	26. The Final Test

**[[A/N]] ashort but gruelling chapter to write. The energy it took to write this one can only be measured by the amount of coffee I drank (at least 10 cups, if anyone's wondering). Read and enjoy my lovelies ^_^**

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><p>Neji grit his teeth against the pain he felt. He would not allow his torturers the pleasure of hearing him cry out. He wasn't even sure if it was a genjutsu anymore. The pain felt so real.<p>

He was chained to a log in a clearing. The skies were dark and clouds threatened rain. Suddenly, countless faceless people surrounded him, each armed with kunai, senbon and shuriken. He flinched when, as one, the hoard released their arsenal. Hundreds of weapons flew towards him. As he opened his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of a smirking face against a blood red backdrop, a face he recognized. Shikamaru was stood in front of him. With a twisted smile, Shikamaru lunged forward. Too late, Neji saw the tanto he was holding, aiming at his chest. With a final thrust, Shikamaru drove the shortsword into Neji's heart. He closed his eyes against the pain he could feel and when it finally began to ebb, he opened his eyes once more.

He was chained to a log in a clearing. The skies were dark and clouds threatened rain. It had begun again.

* * *

><p>Shikamaru sighed as he sat down opposite Haishin.<p>

"What did you want to talk about, Old Man?" he asked, a slight hint of annoyance creeping into his lazy drawl.

"I have one final test for you Shikamaru," he said. "If you pass then we will continue with our plan. If not I'm afraid the punishment will be severe."

"You still don't trust me." Shikamaru's statement hung in the air for a few seconds before Haishin stood up.

"Come, Shikamaru."

Haishin lead Shikamaru out of the house towards the building the elders kept council in. The clouds above hung in the air which was pregnant with rain. Shikamaru expected to be led into the same chamber he had met with the elders in. Instead he was shown into a smaller antechamber.

"Now we shall see where your loyalties lie, Shikamaru."

Haishin clicked his fingers and Neji was brought out, flanked by two guards. When they released him, he slumped on the floor, not even his pride could make him stand before his captor and torturer.

Shikamaru kept his face void of expression.

"You care about him, don't you," Haishin said as he moved to circle Neji. "You would call him a friend, a Konoha dog. You would lie for him, protect him."

Shikamaru tried to swallow the lump that was forming ion his throat. "As you say, Old Man, he's just a dog of the leaf, worthless even to his own clan."

"But you, Shikamaru, you who play people like petty games, you are different. You discovered the truth and still you wish to bring down The Leaf. You are one of a kind. It would be a shame if this were just another lie, another calculated move."

The effort it was taking to lie to his mentor was astounding, Shikamaru had never thought it could be this hard. The effort it was taking him not to rush in and try to help Neji however was far greater. He could hear the blood pounding through his veins and he knew that now was the time he had trained for his entire life.

_Shinobi of the Leaf all inherit one thing, Shikamaru; the Will of Fire. The will to protect what is important no matter the cost. When you wear your forehead protector you are showing everyone that you have that will. _

He could feel the cool bite of the metal against his skin. He had been brought up to know that nothing was more important than his village, but as quickly as his life had changed in Konoha, his priorities had also changed. Suddenly he had a family, he had friends, things he had never had in Ame.

Suddenly, Neji was on his feet. He pushed away the hands of the guards and lunged at Shikamaru.

Midstride, he was stopped, not by a hand, or by a look, but by a genjutsu. Neji fell to his knees once again, this time with his hands fisted in the hair at his temples. He grit his teeth to stop himself from crying out.

"He's strong, Shikamaru," Haishin said as he turned to his student. "It's a shame we have to break his will before we can use him."

A knot had formed in Shikamaru's stomach as he watched Neji bear the pain of the genjutsu in almost complete silence. A low growl was the only sound he made.

"I hope he isn't too strong-willed," Haishin said absent-mindedly as he placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "I would hate for his body to break first. There's nothing worse than a broken toy."

"I'll… Kill you," Neji growled through the pain. He didn't even know if anyone besides the caster were still there or if he had said the words aloud or in his head. But he swore to himself that as long as there was a breath in his body, he would get revenge for the betrayal.


	27. The Escape

**[[A/N]] This felt like it took a lot longer to write than it should have. I think it's because I'm starting to think about how I should end it and I'm not entirely sure how it's gonna end yet.**

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><p>Haishin had been full of nothing but praise for Shikamaru since they left Neji. "The way you simply stared at the boy as he threatened to kill you, no one could mistake the look in your eyes m'boy." He said as he and Shikamaru sat down for dinner. "Disgust," he cried. "Contempt. Anyone would swear you truly hated the boy."<p>

"Konoha dogs are hard to like. They think themselves smarter than the rest of us. Even the ones who are at best mediocre think they are better than everyone else," he said. "Gravy?"

Haishin nodded and Shikamaru passed the boat across the table. "Yes," Haishin said. "Yes I thought they'd be like that. Full of themselves. Thinking they're better than smaller nations, smarter, just because they have more shinobi than others. Absolutely no redeeming qualities."

"Oh, I'm not sure about that. The women are plentiful and most of them are good looking."

"Hah!" Haishin cried out. "Typical talk for a man of your age. You'll soon realise that women are not necessarily a good thing, m'boy."

"I don't doubt it for a moment," Shikamaru replied. "I was only there for a few months and they were already driving me mad."

* * *

><p>Neji slumped forward. For all the talk back in Konoha of his pride being unwavering, it couldn't make him stand anymore. He couldn't do anything but fall forward, suspended from chains on the wall, his arms bent behind him unnaturally like a grotesque puppet. He opened his eyes slowly in time to see the door close on his dungeon.<p>

As much as he didn't want to believe Shikamaru, as much as he had played his words back in his mind, he could still find no lie in his promise.

_I promise I'll get you out but when the time comes._

But when would the time come. When would Shikamaru help him escape the hell he was being put through.

_He's just a dog of the leaf, worthless even to his own clan._

Slumped on the ground, he was indeed worthless. He couldn't protect anyone in the sorry state he was in now.

_You, Shikamaru, you who play people like petty games, you are different._

How different was he really? Was this just another game Shikamaru had devised? Who were the players? Neji, himself, obviously. But who else? Who else had been turned into a pawn in Shikamaru's mind, their only purpose to save the king?

And who was the king? Surely not Shikamaru, he wouldn't be so presumptuous to think that he was that important. Was anyone truly that important to Shikamaru?

The answer came to him like a punch to the gut.

_Maybe you're the king._

His mind struggled to make sense of what he had just thought. If he was important enough to be the king in Shikamaru's game then there had to be pawns and a king for the opposition.

_The old man. _

Again the answer came as though Neji already knew it, like it was waiting to be recalled. And as if spurred on by this realisation, Neji's pride kicked in again. All he had to do was stay alive. No doubt their escape would require him to be ready. Shakily, he stood up, he may have been mentally exhausted but he made himself swear that the next time Shikamaru entered the room he would be free of the chains and his torturers would be dead.

* * *

><p>By the time they had eaten their dinner and made their way to the lounge for Shikamaru's debriefing, Shikamaru had almost exhausted his store of idle chatter.<p>

"I suppose you're feeling slightly nauseous about now," Shikamaru said offhandedly.

A brief nod was his answer.

"Can't talk? That would be the numbness, I expect the tingling in your limbs will start soon."

He glanced up at Haishin.

"Of course, you wouldn't know just yet," Shikamaru said. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you, you won't be around much longer anyway. You're slowly dying. You've been poisoned. I won't tell you what with, I'll see if you can figure that out before your time is up. What I will tell you is why, because I can't imagine you have much of an idea." His voice was cold and as he leaned down so he and Haishin were eye level, a small snarl worked its way onto his lips. "You took me from a loving family and raised me like a dog. You made me betray my friends and my village, something I am probably going to die for myself. You have made it so that nobody will ever accept me and for that, you deserve to die. But that's not why I'm killing you." His voice became low. "I am killing you for hurting my friend, someone I want to protect. I am killing you because to leave you alive would be an insult to my will." His face darkened. "I am killing you to make sure you never let anyone else suffer like I have."

Minutes later he followed two genjutsu casters into Neji's cell. It was now or never, he thought. He burst in through the door.

"Neji," he called out.

"Now," Neji heard.

_"Kaiten!"_

In a blur of blue chakra, the chains broke free of the wall. The two casters hurried forward but the second they came anywhere near Neji they were thrown back into the wall with a sickening crunch.

Neji stopped spinning and landed in a balanced pose. His eyes narrowed as Shikamaru moved closer.

"I still want to kill you, Nara," he said with a growl.

"Kill me when we're back in Konoha," he said. "At least then you can be sure it's by your hand."

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] Cookies for the people who guess what Shikamaru used to poison Haishin. **

**Edited out spelling errors**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	28. Obstacles

**[[A/N]] Short chapter is short Q.Q and no cookies for anyone ='[ The answer for those of you who are wondering is wolfsbane. Anyhoo... On with the show.**

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><p>"So what's the plan, genius?"<p>

"Get back to Konoha, don't die."

Neji stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Shikamaru. "Please be serious."

"I am. Especially about the 'don't die' part."

Neji shook his head. "What do you want me to do?"

"As soon as they realise you're missing we're gonna have an entourage. I need you to tell me when they come after us and where they are. Until then, stick close and keep your hood up."

Slowly they crept out of Neji's prison building and he got his first good look at Amegakure. The industrious city towered above him and as he followed Shikamaru through the dank metropolis he found himself wondering what each building was for. What could they possibly need so many buildings with so many floors for?

Activating his Byakugan he saw that it wasn't just the immediate area that had skyscrapers but the negative colours of his inverted world made no difference to its depressing state. He cast his view wider and at once saw what Shikamaru had predicted. At least twenty Ame shinobi had just left their prison.

"Incoming," Neji said.

Suddenly the twists and turns they were taking seemed more prominent. They circled around and doubled back on themselves, taking sharp turns until –

"A dead end?" Neji said as he glared at Shikamaru. "You've lived in this city for god knows how long and you lead us to a dead end."

"I know what I'm doing," Shikamaru said. "Where are they?"

Neji relayed their positions and turned back to Shikamaru expectantly. "How exactly does this help us?"

"Their aim won't be to kill us it'll be to capture us." He paused for a moment and crabbed his fingers. "Tell me again where they are," Shikamaru said.

"At least seven on the roof tops, the closest is about 20 metres away. They're spread out across both sides and behind. Same formation on the ground but they're further out and there's more. Around twelve."

"There's no one in front?" Shikamaru asked as he crabbed his fingers.

"Not that I can see, and I can see pretty far. Do you have a plan?"

Shikamaru didn't answer. After a moment, he said, "Check underground."

Neji hid his surprise well. "All clear," he said after a moment of scanning directly below them and the surrounding area below ground. "Tell me you have a plan."

"Same plan as earlier, get to Konoha, don't die. I think you'll agree that we're doing well for the second half of the plan."

"So you have no real plan?"

"I told you, I'm working on it," Shikamaru growled through his teeth. After a few more minutes he spoke again. "You go underground, I'll go above. This," he made the snake seal. "Is the sign for you to get back to the surface, even if you have to use that fancy spiny jutsu to break through the road."

"And if my 'fancy spiny jutsu' doesn't work?"

"We'll deal with that if it comes to it. You're smart, I'm sure you'll figure a way out."

"And where exactly do I go?"

"You follow me, keep to my path and I'll break them up. They'll chase me initially but it'll be you they're after. My bet is that at least half will back track here and spiral out trying to pick up your trail."

"And when they realise we haven't split up?" Neji asked, his faith in Shikamaru's plan diminishing slightly.

"I'm hoping we can throw them off for long enough for us to get a decent head start. We'll head south since they've left it open for us, I know it's what they've planned but it'll be easier than fighting through them. "

Neji thought this through and although he thought the plan was ok, he could still see one huge problem. "How will you know that where you're leading me won't end in a dead end?" he asked.

"I've been training in the sewers since I was a kid. In case you haven't noticed we lack trees around here. Our speciality isn't attacking from above, it's attacking from below."

"And how am I supposed to get underground?" Neji asked.

By way of an answer, Shikamaru pointed to the ground behind him.

There was a manhole cover.

* * *

><p><em>This is ridiculous.<em>

Neji was running low on chakra and he had no idea how far Shikamaru was taking him. He had no choice but to trust that the shadow-nin knew what he was doing even if Neji didn't.

He followed the twists and turns that Shikamaru lead him through, jumping gaps that stood in his way. He watched as Shikamaru slowly gained a lead on the Ame ninja that were following them.

Deeper into the sewers he went, not pausing to take a breath and never letting his eyes stray from Shikamaru.

He felt a twinge in his temples that told him his chakra was dangerously low.

_Not yet. A little longer, that's all I need._

* * *

><p>Shikamaru ran fast through his childhood playground. Buildings towered over him as he ran through the streets. Without slowing, he pulled a tagged kunai from the pouch around his waist and threw it towards the roof of the teahouse. A few seconds later he heard the explosion.<p>

As the buildings around him grew shorter and the alleyways linking the major streets grew thinner he weaved his way through the city to the edge of the urban jungle. He threw another kunai into the ground at his feet and continued to run.

He could see a field ahead of him.

They were almost there.

He made the snake seal as he passed another manhole cover and Neji quickly joined him as they made their bid for freedom.

There was just one more obstacle.

Nyūsen stood in their path.

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] Nyūsen's back! How will he react? What will Shikamaru and Neji do? Find out in the next chapter of Home!**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	29. Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms

**[[A/N]] I hope you're all ready for this. It was gruelling to write but I wanted to get it up before the weekend was over. It's not quite as long as I would have liked it to be but I don't think it would have been much better if it was longer. **

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><p>"I always knew you'd betray us," Nyūsen said as he slowly closed the gap between Shikamaru and himself. "I always knew you were a danger to us, but father never listened to me."<p>

Shikamaru watched Nyūsen carefully as he approached and glanced across to Neji. The Hyūga was breathing heavily and after almost a week of genjutsu torture he was surely not in a position to fight. Shikamaru would have to take Nyūsen down alone.

"Now he'll have to listen to me. Now he will praise me," Nyūsen said as he continued to close the gap between them. "I will be the chosen one and you, you will finally be out of the way."

"Don't you know yet then?" Shikamaru asked as he stepped closer to and in front of Neji. "Hasn't anyone told you he's dead."

"You're lying," spat Nyūsen. "He will choose me as his successor."

"Nope," Shikamaru said as he slipped his hands into his pockets as an attempt at nonchalance. "I watched the life fade from his eyes. It was quite satisfying."

"Shikamaru what the hell are you doing?" Neji asked. "We need to get out of here now."

"Trust me," Shikamaru whispered back.

"You killed him?" Nyūsen asked, his eyes widening.

Shikamaru nodded.

A second was all it took for Nyūsen to run at Shikamaru with a kunai drawn. Now that they were out of Ame proper, Shikamaru knew he could trust Neji to find his way back to the land of fire. "Run," Shikamaru said to Neji.

Neji stayed where he was. Had Shikamaru purposely taunted Nyūsen so that he, Neji, could get away?

Shikamaru blocked Nyūsen's attack with his own kunai and pushed him back. Pulling a shuriken from his pouch on his leg he threw it at Nyūsen.

"Neji, what are you waiting for, get out of here."

"Fire style: Fireball jutsu."

Shikamaru dodged the fireball by rolling to the left, Nyūsen, however had been ready for him.

"Fire style: Burning Ash."

As Shikamaru was surrounded by the ash, Neji ran towards Nyūsen. With his chakra running almost empty, he did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around Nyūsen's waist and tackled him to the ground.

Shikamaru stumbled out of the ash cloud and saw Neji and Nyūsen flailing around on the ground he used the precious few seconds Neji had gained him to weave the seals for his shadow imitation jutsu.

After a few seconds of watching the shadow stretch across the ground, he felt a small tug that told him he had snared his target.

He jumped backwards, pulling Nyūsen away from Neji.

"Goddamit Hyūga, get out of here."

"I see you learned some new tricks in Konoha," Nyūsen spat as he tried to move.

Shikamaru felt the tug on his chakra and knew he wouldn't be able to hold Nyūsen for long.

"If you're not gonna leave then do something useful," Shikamaru said through gritted teeth.

Neji inhaled deeply as he gathered what remained of his chakra and slowly fell into his attack stance.

"Realease him," Neji said. As Shikamaru complied, Nyūsen began forming seals. "Too late, you're in range already. Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms."

"Two Palms!" Nyūsen was knocked back half a step.

"Four Palms!" He was losing ground.

"Eight Palms!" The first increase of hits knocked him back another step.

"Sixteen Palms!" Any breath that Nyūsen had had left him, leaving him winded.

"Thirty Two Palms!" Neji's hands were moving so fast, Shikamaru couldn't see them.

"Sixty Four Palms!" Nyūsen flew backwards with the force of the strikes.

"You did I –" Shikamaru looked over to Neji who had collapsed on to the floor. He had fallen unconscious from the over use of chakra. "Shit… Neji."

"Don't look away from your opponent, Shika," Nyūsen said. "Wasn't that what you always told me? I guess Konoha made you weak."

Shikamaru span around in time to see Nyūsen run towards him with a kunai drawn. The next thing he felt was a sharp pain in his stomach and Nyūsen's breath at his ear.

"If it's the last thing I do, I'll kill you Shikamaru."

The sudden weight of Nyūsen's body leaning on him told Shikamaru that he was the only conscious person in the field now. Pushing Nyūsen off him, he picked Neji up and with the Hyūga on his back, he headed back to Konoha.

* * *

><p>The dusty road was long and winding. Shikamaru's vision was blurred and he had no idea how long he had been walking. Each step caused him more pain where Nyūsen's kunai had punctured him, but he had to keep going. He had to get Neji back to Konoha.<p>

After what felt like an eternity, Neji began to stir.

"Shikamaru?" he mumbled.

"You're awake," Shikamaru replied as he let Neji down off his back. "Great. That's great." Without warning he fell to the ground, his wound finally becoming too much for him.

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] No! Shikamaru's lost a lot of blood and is (probably) dying! What will Neji do?!**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**WatchingAsYouFall**


	30. Of Shikas and Spleens

**[[A/N]]Short chapter is short. I hope you all forgive me for the delay in updating, life's a bitch that doesn't pull her punches apparently. **

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><p><em>Maybe dying isn't all that bad,<em> Shikamaru thought as he lay there. He had felt cold at first but now he was warm; like he had been sat in front of a fire for a long time. Wherever he was lying down (was he lying down?) was soft underneath him.

He opened his eyes slowly and was met with the sight of a thousand stars looking down at him through a window. As soon as he realised he must be inside, he felt himself slipping back into the warm embrace that unconsciousness held him in.

* * *

><p><em>Maybe I'm floating, <em>Shikamaru thought. He couldn't feel anything beneath him, he felt as though he were simply suspended in the air.

He opened his eyes once more. The sky that had been lit with stars earlier now held nothing but the moon, as though someone had scraped the stars all together and pushed them into one. In the moonlight, on the other side of the window was Neji. His hair was loose and the soft wind was gently blowing it around his face.

_I'm probably not dead, _Shikamaru thought as he drifted once again back into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>"His fever's breaking, he should wake up soon."<p>

_Soon? Who should wake up?_

"Will there be any adverse effects?"

_I recognise that voice. That's Neji._

"He's lucky he survived as long as he did. We had to remove his spleen, whoever stabbed wanted him dead and knew where to hit him with the kunai."

Shikamaru felt the brush of warm fingertips on his forehead and as though it was a signal to his semiconscious brain, drifted back into the darkness of sleep.

* * *

><p>"Why isn't he waking up?"<p>

_Mom?_

"Sakura said it may take a while. He's been through a serious trauma."

_Neji?_

Shikamaru felt someone take his hand and press their lips to it.

_I'm awake, why can't you see that?_

He tried his hardest to open his eyes and was rewarded with a slight flutter of his eyelashes.

"Shikaku, go get Sakura, I think he's waking up."

As he tried again to open his eyes, he was assaulted by the harsh sunlight. He winced and turned his head away from the offending source and his eyes met with Neji's.

"Glad to see you're back with the living, Nara," he said.

"Where am I?" Shikamaru asked, his voice hoarse.

"You're back in Konoha, Shikamaru. You're safe."

"Mom?" He turned to the other side to see his mother clutching his hand. "What happened?"

"When you were found near the border Neji was carrying you, you'd been stabbed in the spleen. You were lucky to be alive."

"How did I–"

Shikamaru was cut off by the door opening and his father and Sakura coming in.

"About time you woke up, Kid," his father said. "You had us all worried."

"I'm just going to check your reactions with this light, keep your eyes open," Sakura said.

She shone the light briefly in his eyes then stood back up straight.

"Everything seems normal, there's no need to worry but he should probably rest a little longer."

"Rest? He's been out of it for days."

"He's been through an ordeal, Shikaku," Yoshino chided her husband. "Let's pull out your spleen and see how long it takes you to be back up and moving."

"Let's not," Sakura said with a nervous grin.

* * *

><p>The days passed slowly in the hospital and Shikamaru hadn't seen Neji since the day he'd woken up. He wanted to know why he wasn't in a prison cell somewhere in Konoha, he wanted to know why he wasn't being questioned like a criminal and he wanted to ask Neji just how they'd managed to escape away from the prying ears of his visitors.<p>

Weeks dragged by and visitors grew less. Only his parents still visited every day. Finally Sakura was satisfied that he could go home.

When he arrived at the home he shared with Neji, he was expecting him to be there. What he didn't expect was a thin layer of dust to cover the surfaces in every room.

Walking into Neji's room he wasn't sure what to expect. The covers on the bed were folded bacxk neatly and a piece of paper lay folded on the sheets.

_Oh great,_ Shikamaru thought. _I'm being 'Dear John'd' by someone who isn't even my boyfriend. _

He sat on the bed, his back against the wall and unfolded the letter.

_Shikamaru, _It read.

_While you were in the hospital I decided it would be best if I returned to my family's complex. I am unsure when you will be leaving the hospital so I hope you can forgive me for not being there to welcome you home. _

_I'm sure you have questions regarding our escape, as do I. Please stop by my family's home when you feel ready and we can catch each other up on what has happened._

_Neji_

"So damn formal all the time," Shikamaru muttered. Thinking he had nothing better to do, Shikamaru headed back downstairs and slipped his shoes on before heading to the Hyūga complex.

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] Shikamaru lives! Hurrah! For those of you wondering about the title of this chapter, I couldn't think of anything else so we were left with a bit of a funny one. **

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


	31. Home

**[[A/N]] I regret to inform you all that this is the last chapter of Home. After much consideration I decided to forgo an epilogue so for now at least, this is it. **

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><p>Shikamaru walked through Konoha slowly. When he first arrived at the village he was awed by the autumnal trees making the village glow brightly in a way that made it worthy of its broader title, The Land of Fire. Now, in the middle of January, the bare branches of the winter's trees brushed against the eaves of the houses Shikamaru passed and the grey skies cast shadows even at the height of the day.<p>

With practiced ease, he found his way through the lesser walked streets of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Back alleys and lanes led the way through the village towards the Hyūga compound.

_Why am I even here?_

The thought came unbidden to Shikamaru's mind.

_Why am I still in Konoha? I should have run the second I was let out of the hospital._

For all of his ability to think and strategize, Shikamaru had no idea what he was going to do now he was back in Konoha. He'd expected Neji to inform the Hokage immediately about his defection and what had happened in Ame. He had expected to be in a cell or back in Ibiki's hotseat. He had expected his life to take a drastic change for the worst.

What he hadn't expected was for Neji to hold his silence. He hadn't expected to be able to walk around the Village Hidden in the Leaves free as a bird. He certainly hadn't expected life to continue almost as it had before they left for Ame.

Before he knew it, Shikamaru was in front of the Hyūga compound, his thoughts carrying him on the path with a practiced ease.

_Dammit. I was hoping for more time._

"Shikamaru-kun?"

Shikamaru turned at the sound of his name and saw Hinata Hyūga stood at the other side of the gate.

"Hinata," he greeted. "Hi, is Neji around?"

"I think he's training with Hanabi in the courtyard," Hinata said. "I can take you around if you'd like?"

Shikamaru nodded and followed Hinata through the compound to a courtyard he once watched the Hyūga heiress training in before.

_That seems like it was a life time ago._

"Again."

Neji's voice echoed through the mostly empty courtyard.

"Let's just watch them for a little while," Shikamaru suggested to Hinata.

With a nod of her head she turned to watch her cousin and sister sparring. Hanabi took up the Gentle Fist stance and in a few moments was approaching her cousin. Her face was set in a scowl as he blocked each of her attacks. Jumping backwards she pulled out a kunai and threw it at Neji. Neji span in a small circle throwing the kunai out of harm's way.

"You will never defeat me if you resort to tricks like that, Hanabi-sama. Either come at me with the intent to hurt me or you will fail."

Hanabi grimace and stayed where she was.

"If you will not come at me, then I shall come at you," Neji said.

In an instant Neji was in front of his younger cousin, throwing Gentle Fist jabs towards her arms and chest, forcing her to block his attacks. When he relented for an instant, Hanabi pushed forward, throwing her own hits towards her cousin. Her attacks got progressively quicker and soon it was all Neji could do to keep blocking her.

"Good, "he said as he blocked yet more of her hits. "You're finally coming at me like you're serious"

Hanabi's hands kept moving and soon Neji was forced to dodge instead of just block. Then she started to falter. Her steps became less fluid and her hits became slightly sporadic. She was tiring fast.

"That's enough," Neji said. He placed his hand on top of her head and ruffled her hair. "You did well, Hanabi," he praised her. "Keep practicing."

"Thanks, Neji-nii-san, I will." Hanabi took off at lightning speed, leaving Neji with his other cousin and friend.

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to come over?" he asked without turning to Shikamaru and Hinata.

* * *

><p>Over a game of shogi in Neji's old bedroom, Neji explained everything to Shikamaru. No, he wasn't mad. No, he didn't want to subject him to Ibiki's favourite chair. No he hadn't told anyone about what really happened in Ame. Yes he still wanted to kick Shikamaru's ass for lying. Yes, he was going to wait until they sparred again before he proceeded to beat the Nara within an inch of his life. Alright, maybe he was still a little mad. God, yes, he was ready to go home.<p>

* * *

><p>The days passed calmly and Shikamaru was finally beginning to feel that maybe Neji had meant what he said about not telling anyone. As winter finally turned to spring, Shikamaru's fears of ending up in a small room with Ibiki subsided. Towards the end of March, he was cleared to do missions again, much to his relief. A month later he was to participate in the Chuunin exams which he did with relish. Being in close quarters with Ibiki again for the first time since he returned from Ame shook Shikamaru more than he was willing to admit but following a gruelling written exam and five days in the forest of Death, he progressed to the final exam.<p>

The end of May brought with it the summer sun and Shikamaru's promotion. With his new found status as Chuunin of Konoha came more responsibilities. While he was used to Solo missions courtesy of his role in Ame, and he'd gotten used to being ordered around like a child thanks to his status as a genin in Konoha, he had never been a team leader before. The only experience he had of ordering people around came from the escape attempt during the winter.

He soon found out that co-ordinating four people was a little more difficult than co-ordinating two but thanks to his prowess with Shogi barely more than "troublesome". After his first unsuccessful mission (his actions after which earned him a stern talking to from both Neji and his father) he began to succeed more than anyone would have thought for someone who had been a ninja for less than a year. Only he and Neji knew otherwise.

One morning in late July just before the sun rose, he headed out of the house he shared with Neji. He didn't know where he was heading but thanks to being unable to sleep he felt the need to walk off the stiff neck he had acquired tossing and turning.

Shikamaru found himself on top of the Hokage monument as the day dawned, the clear skies promising yet another warm day in the Land of Fire. After growing up in the Village Hidden in the Rain, sunny days were still something of a novelty to the young Nara. He watched as fluffy clouds rolled over the mountain in the distance and as the sky gradually lightened and as he watched, he thought about how much his life had changed in the last year.

He found himself almost wistful as he thought about the circumstances that had led to where he was now. He had friends here in Konoha, something he'd never had in Ame. People treated him like a person instead of like a weapon to be used. Going back to Ame had almost destroyed what he had built up in Konoha but Neji had forgiven him. Sure he'd had more than a few bruises before the older shinobi finally relented but when he did it was with a smile and the words "everyone makes mistakes, Shikamaru. You're no different."

But was he really no different from those he'd come to like in Konoha. He had been a spy for an enemy nation. He had been planning to take over the village. He had led his friend into danger all so he could maintain the pretence.

_But you got out. You made it right again._

Was it really all right again? The balance had shifted and he no longer knew his place in the world.

_It's here,_ a small voice in the back of his mind said. _It's right here in Konoha. Here with your friends and family._

Shikamaru sighed and dropped his head into his wondered how different things would be if everyone had found out what he had done. He wondered how many people would hate him for it. At least he could be sure that Tsunade would be baying for his blood.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Shikamaru failed to notice someone approach him, almost until they sat down next to him.

"It promises to be a beautiful day," Neji said as he took his seat next to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru nodded and looked back towards the sky.

"You know, thinking about things doesn't necessarily mean they'll make sense, right."

Again, Shikamaru nodded. Neji sighed.

"I just don't get it," Shikamaru said slowly. "I don't understand what I've done to deserve friends like you and the family I've got. Especially after everything I've done."

"What you've done doesn't matter. What you intend to do in the future is what you should be thinking about," Neji said. "Now, unless you plan on overthrowing Konoha single-handedly, which I doubt, I see no reason to dwell upon what may happen."

Shikamaru looked over to Neji to see a faint smile adorned his face. This was what he wanted. The friendship that came between them, unconditionally. He looked back out over Konoha.

"You're right," Shikamaru said with a smile. "Let's go home."

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong>[[AN]] Thank you all for joining me on this ride. It's been fun and at times stressful but it's all been worth it. I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favourited and added this story to their alerts. Without you all I'd probably have given up a long time ago.**

**Lessthanthree you all**

**~WatchingAsYouFall**


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